High Desert Queen & Dunes - Trillians, Newcastle 30.05.2022

I could wax lyrical about how good both sets from High Desert Queen and Dunes from their gig together in Newcastle, but both videos below more than do that!

Review: Big Scenic Nowhere - Lavender Blues

Big Scenic Nowhere released their full length Vision Beyond Horizon only months after their debut EP Dying on The Mountain, and less than a year after that they return with a new EP Lavender Blues. With the band being more of a project between members of other bands, you would think that getting everyone together and writing would only happen a couple of times a year, but even if it is, Big Scenic Nowhere have a magic sixth sense between them and just turn on the tape over a long weekend, and a wealth of creativity and musicianship just spills out every time.

Towards the end of 2019 the four continuing members: Bob Balch (Fu Manchu), Gary Arce (Yawning Man), Tony Reed (Mos Generator) and Bill Stinson (Yawning Man) were joined this time with: Per Wiberg (Kamchatka, Opeth), Daniel Mongrain (Voivod) and the legend that is Chris Goss (Masters of Reality), and have managed to put down on tape 3 songs that have the distinctive Big Scenic Nowhere sound, but this time

The whole of side A contains the 13+ minute title track Lavender Blues, which starts like a slow meander into some place warm and distant. There is a real feeling that Lavender Blues has been jammed out and evolved into something so unique right in front of the players with the warm psychedelic feel it gives out, their inner-prog just blossoms.

As the first real synthesizer solo kicks and lifts you up to the next level, I am getting that feeling like I’m being pulled away into one of those vast Roger Dean paintings, with all its organic world within another world complexities. It’s like taking desert musicians out of the warm dusty sun soaked open sprawl of the low desert and putting them into a world of blue and green with long winding rivers and upside down trees.

As a song, Lavender Blues has that much through the 13+ minutes, every time I listen to it, I hear something different.

Like a complete contrast to side A, Blink of an Eye is your favorite soundtrack from a 70’s movie that you used to dig in your teenage years. The opening chords have the feeling of closing a door for the final time and heading off to pastures new. With a mid-paced hook that is extremely catchy, there a positive vibe to it, as though you’re nodding at that person you recognise as your walking off into the evening sunshine.

I wouldn’t say it has the radio rock feel, but it’s a close as Big Scenic Nowhere have come to giving you an upbeat catchy track that will be stuck in your head all day. It is though, the kind of song that Tony’s voice is made for, be it the rich vocal strength he has or the ability to fit perfectly in harmonies.

As Blink of an Eye concludes, the guitars start to pick up and drift towards a place that they can soar into those huge open spaces, before the synthesizers take over and spill out a range of 70’s prog power which will make each and every one of us remember how to rock the air keyboard.

Labyrinths Fade starts with a fade-in, something I haven’t head in a while, but it works well as the riff rolls in a repeats with more of a classic rock feel to it. There is some truly epic solos that intertwine some technical mastery over the big soaring layers of guitar, that sound like they have input from the fingers of Daniel Mongrain. When the vocals do appear that have a deep hypnotic chant to them, which play well off solo after solo. The big synthesizers appear again so that you know they’re still about, before the rest of Labyrinths Fade shows off a bunch of killer musicians coming together and producing something quite magic.

At the time of writing this, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have already turned the tape on again in the studio and pressed record. It’s just a shame that the ongoing pandemic halted their planned live shows, but you know that something good will be just around the corner. Roll on 2021.

Big Scenic Nowhere – Bandcamp – Heavy Psych Sounds

Review: Yawning Man - Live At Giant Rock

After the cancelation of this years Stoned and Dusted festival due to the worldwide pandemic, the organiser's curated the online streaming party, Couchlock and Rock. With their chance to really raise the bar and produce a live cinematic experience in the style of what Pink Floyd did with Live at Pompeii, Yawning Man took their instruments and amps out to Giant Rock in the Mojave Desert and played a 52 minute soundtrack that’s as big as the atmosphere that surrounded them.

On the film, you follow the 3 band members walk towards the rock and the sound of sand and dirt crunching under foot takes me straight back to watching this live online in the middle of the night, and then seeing Mario start up the generator seemed very symbolic in the way it played its part in kick starting the music of so many good musicians.

Tumbleweeds In The Snow starts high up in the sky as Gary’s guitar feels like its walking on the very edge before Mario’s bass plays out its first few chords, the oh so high riff begins, Bill’s drumbeat kicks in and your 15 minute descent begins. It drifts, it floats, it soars through the huge skies above the Mojave, and the clarity of the production makes you feel as though you are right there with them. You can truly lose yourself in Tumbleweeds In The Snow as it rolls from side to side whilst slowly pulling you towards the warm feeling of the light. Like other songs Yawning Man songs, they have the ability to write music that is hypnotic through its feeling of repetitiveness, but if you actually dissect it, very few lines are the same. What Gary does with his pedals and guitar to produce such sounds is still a mystery to me, which adds to the magic of it all, so instead of wondering, it’s good just to close your eyes, kick back and embrace the jam before you.

The Last Summer Eye starts with an epic sounding riff that takes me back to a world of 80’s/90’s surf video’s. It has a slightly loose distant feel that drifts away into the sky before expanding itself back into that epic riff that entwines itself over the rolling bassline. If I hadn’t seen the concert film and its huge overhead camera shots before hearing this, I would have pictured huge scenery shots of coastline and boards riding the endless crashing waves.

The tongue in cheek titled Nazi Synthesizer takes you out into the sun to remind you why you fell in love with the music of Yawning Man. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but it takes me back to a place when I first discovered Rock Formations and Pot Head, with that expansive feel to the guitar sound that seems to have no outer limits. Both guitar and bass play there part as they create a warm, slightly fuzzy onward motion and I can picture Gary, Mario and Bill sat back in a car, windows down, the warm breeze flowing past them as they drive off into the desert, completely content, not saying a word.

Blowhole Sunrise/Space Finger is another 17+ minutes of desert rock at its finest. It floats, it glides, it holds you in a trance as you can literally feel all 3 members musically connect somewhere beyond the realm.

What more can I say? I pained a few rooms at home and I must have listened to this 40+ times and it gets better and better every play. The sonics of the recording are absolutely huge and it deserves to be played live and loud.

They could have played live in a rehearsal room or a dark empty venue, but no, only Yawning Man could play the biggest open space you could ever find, and fill it.

I have seen them live on many occasions over the years, but now I can only imagine the 3 piece playing to the desert background and the awesome sun drenched massive blue sky, hence next time I will have to close my eyes when I’m stood in a dark club on a dark UK winters evening.

Thanks to the fine folk at Heavy Psych Sounds Records, you have a selection of vinyl versions to compliment the DVD. Shout out to how good the special edition limited cover vinyl is and would the USA postal service hurray up and deliver my DVD (damn you Covid-19!!).

All I can say is you have to own this record.

Yawning Man – Plastic Cactus – Bandcamp - Heavy Psych Sounds 

Review: Psychlona – Venus Skytrip

Psychlona turned some heads back in 2018 with their debut Mojo Rising and have been gigging away to build up a loyal following ever since. Returning again on Ripple Music and Cursed Tongue Records, the Bradford 4-piece have well and truly returned on another level with Venus Skytrip.

Blast Off starts trippy and space like with some astronaut dialogue in the distance and I’m thinking have they psyched out for this record, but no, the drum beat pulls the track up over the repetitive guitar line that moulds itself around the wall of fuzz that quickly follows. It’s not too fast and not too slow and just grooves along like the vehicle of your choice with a speed gauge that is getting pushed to the limit. I can see why people have made the Fu Manchu comparisons but I’m thinking more of the 90’s Swedish bands (Dozer, Lowrider etc.) in the way the song sounds like a variety of big heavy soundscapes.

I’m sure I heard 10,000 Volts being played last time I saw them live as I remember the song starting slow and moody with a load of early Sabbath doomy blues rock in there. It’s a definite slow burner that swings back and forth, making it a real head nodder. The last few minutes have the guitars taking control and walking you off into the night sky after throwing the listener a few wah-wah’s. 10,000 Volts is made for a dark festival venue full of drunken punters.

Blow has a bluesy swagger to it from the start and stomps along like The Sword with a bit of Clutch moulded into the background.

If you worship at the altar of Fu Manchu or Nebula, Star will be your stand out “go to” song on the album. From the opening riff to the first solo action, Psychlona work through the gears of their (insert your 70’s muscle car of choice here) and it doesn’t let up. Cutting through the big wall of fuzz after a couple of minutes is the introduction of some classic cow bell that kick starts even more epic soloing. Star ticks all the right boxes for the Stoner Rock party jam!

Edge of the Universe feels like the band are pushing their boundaries further with some darker doomier riffs, a big rumbling bassline and sliding guitar chords with a southern twist that warps the mind.

Resin is easily my favourite song on the album. Starting all laid back and trippy, the single drum track and bassline set the tone as the guitars float in and out to create an ambience before a wave of guitars crash over you. It does feel like they’ve managed to catch a point in time that reminds me of what Unida did with songs like You Wish and Last Day, when they let the instruments take the listener to a place somewhere between the end of the horizon and the beginning of space. Played live I can see Resin turning into a 20+ minute jam. The band have done a video for Resin that’s full of old 50’s and 60’s surfing clips and it all fits together really well with the music complementing the culture and vice versa.

Tijuana kicks the throttle back in again and feels like you’re on board the rocket that’s taking you on the Venus Skytrip, and The Owl takes you on a 9+ minute psychedelic doom jam that builds with a deep hypnotic riff that marches you through the dark red skies before floating away towards the light.

Psychlona will win over a lot of new fans with Venus Skytrip and when the pandemic subsides and gigs can actually happen again, I am looking forward to seeing them rock this out live.

I also have to mention the production quality of the mix and production done by Andy Hawkins and the cool psychedelic artwork done by Kyrre Bjurling.

As quick as it was pressed on vinyl Venus Skytrip had already sold out, but they have already repressed it on sun star yellow.

Website – Bandcamp – YouTube – Ripple Music – Cursed Tongue Records

Review: Full Tone Generator & Nick Oliveri 7”

Australian rockers Full Tone Generator are back and they’ve brought a friend from the Californian desert with them this time, Mr Nick Oliveri. Listening to Nick talk about this on Kyuss World Radio a few weeks back, you know you’re getting something special here.

Stoner Rock mixed with Punk Rock, that is short, sharp, like a kick in the head, and if you’re wondering what side of the pond the Punk Rock will favour? Think GBH, The Damned and Sub-Humans.

Without A Sound starts with the riff, the slight feedback of the instruments plugging in, the classic drum roll build up, Nick’s trademark scream and we’re off. Imagine Full Tone Generator removing any effects pedals and just plugging in and turning it up to eleven. Classic punk rock riffs pummel you and Nick’s voice sounds even more demonic than normal. The repetitive riff with added clapping appears a couple of times, like what Nick always did with Mondo Generator and Queens of the Stone Age, and I dare you not to clap along. Throw in the odd early 80’s five second guitar solo, and it’s all packed in to two minutes and three seconds.

Clocking in at less than 2 minutes on If You Want Me, there’s full on raw riffs from the beginning with slightly more guitar work this time. Nick’s vocals are abrasive and in your face (like you’d expect anything else?) and the chorus isn’t something you will be blasting out the car window when you’re picking the kids up. There’s even a quick punk rock ‘out of control’ solo in there.

Released between Tuff Cuff Records and Ruined Vibes, there’s a limited vinyl run of black and orange editions and a couple of deluxe versions. By the time you read this I expect everything will already be sold out, so happy hunting.

Full Tone Generator - Nick Oliveri - Tuff Cuff – Ruined Vibes

Review: The Kings of Frog Island – VI

It had been a few years after the release of V when 2019 saw the first of a years’ worth of monthly song releases started as the band re-explored all their instruments from Amphibia Studios in Leicester. From Birth of a Star to Supernova to El Indio, the 1^st of the month always had you wondering what they had constructed the previous few weeks.

Roll on to 2020 and they’re back to the album format with a collection of ten songs that they have been working on over the last few years with the line-up of Mark Buteux, Gavin Searle, Dodge Watson, Tony Heslop and Lee Madel-Toner.

Monotron’s psychedelic intro layers keyboards upon guitars and forms something of a 70’s sci-fi backing track. It has a laid back yet majestic feel to it and spends its 97 seconds building and building into something special that you know has been too long in coming. I would probably compare it to seeing a band headline a festival that rarely play live and your locked into the zone when the lights go down and there’s the magical energy in the air.

The big opening riff for Ever and Forever slowly rolls in with thick fuzzy layers of guitar. It only take seconds, but you are already back sat at the wheel of a dirty old Dodge pick-up, travelling through the night from town to deserted town, heading into the ass end of nowhere. The riffs and the drumming feel structured in a robotic space like fashion, which enhances that repetitive journey into the unknown, and there's still nod to classic early Queens of The Stone Age. The mix of male/female vocals and use of both voices as instruments (the oooohs and aaaaahs) and guitar work around the line “where nobody goes, where no one knows” adds to the mystic of the track. Who knows where the pick-up will end up?

Bad Trip floats in and enters your brain like LSD should do. A single drum beat and keyboard note lifts you to a level deep in the sub-conscious before a guitar riff that slides side to side without actually ending. The vocals overlap and harmonise as they drift in and out and mould themselves around that guitar without properly showing who they are. As another keyboard enters, you can feel it pull the guitar in a slightly different direction as though the trip is turning bad, before everything fades away.

Toxic Heart is like the antidote to Bad Trip with its positive new beginnings feel to the riff the track is built around. A slow meandering track that sounds very psychedelic in an English way.

Pigs in Space opens with huge sounding repetitive riffs that take you off in to a space bound journey before the keyboards swing you away, then push you back towards the stars. Again the clever use of the voice as an instrument that drones in and out has you thinking this would fit well on a Desert Sessions record.

Sicario has a slow doomy reflective feel to it that sounds quite haunting, and Brainless is a 3 minute instrumental that shows how good Leicester’s finest are.

The female vocals that start the layered vocal build up to Murderer have that feeling of early Monster Magnet and about 2 minutes in the riff kicks in over the whaling keyboards and it builds to sounding absolutely huge. My only complaint is that it finishes far too quickly.

I am the Hurricane follows straight on with big stoner rock riffs that swings between high mountain summits and deep canyon depths. Like it hurricane, the song slowly rolls and rolls and rolls along.

Closing the record is Fine, a song that could be and probably should be your favourite hit of the summer. I admit that whenever the internet radio is playing at home, it’s tuned into a station dedicated to 90’s alt-rock or grunge, and Fine would fit perfectly in there somewhere. Kicking off with a warm fuzzy opening riff, before some jangle and then the guitar just talks to you as the song struts along with a confident swagger. There’s layers of vocals, keyboards, harmonies and there is a poppy feel to it in the way The Dandy Warhols have the knack of writing good songs. I dare you not to be humming the chorus for the rest of the week.

With the first listen, VI clicked with me and it just sounds better and better with every play, and believe me, it’s been played many times this week. VI is The Kings of Frog Island at their finest again which will no doubt please the regulars as well as bring in more listeners. They finally have a live show booked in for later this year which we should all be psyched about and hopefully this pandemic doesn’t bump it again.

Kozmic Artifactz have released VI on vinyl in transparent blue or a tasty amphibious green/black splatter.

Bandcamp – Facebook – YouTube – Kozmic Artifactz 

Review: Comacozer / Vinnum Sabbathi - Here and Beyond LP

Ever since I started buying records split releases have always been something of novelty that gives you the feeling that they are rare and collectable in some way. In the cast of most of them, they’re not, but ever since the first split 7” that I possessed, the coming together of different styles and ideas adds to the magic and mystic of what you hold in your hands.

Fast forward over 25 years and the two separately produced pieces of photocopied artwork has long been replaced with full sleeve artwork that encompasses the whole feeling of the record, with Six.D.Six supplying the bands and the label with an illustration that stretched through space and time. 

Released by Australian based label Psychedelic Salad Records, they have brought together fellow countrymen Comacozer, a band who I have been a big fan of for quite some time, and Mexico's Vinnum Sabbathi, a band who I have known about but have for one reason or another never crossed paths with before, so here we go off in to the unknown.

If I had the chance to put music on one side of a 12” record then my method of delivery would be just one long song, and that’s exactly what Comacozer have done with their single 19 minute track Sun of Hyperion. Quoting the press release, Sun of Hyperion is journey that continues on from their debut track Helios Hyperion, written and recorded in 2014. A regular feature of their live shows, Sun of Hyperion was recorded at the same time as their last album Mydriasis.

The track starts slow and distant, buried somewhere in the realms of deep space. The guitar is slight and meanders through the dark paths, backed with space like samples and voices talking about taking trips on LSD and never coming back. From here the guitar line the song keeps returning to over the next 19 minutes, starts. Building and building, the bass, then the drums enter the picture as the keyboards pull you in and out the atmospheres of the different moons and worlds this trip is taking you too. Sounding uniquely like Comacozer, I can also hear the atmospheric build up’s that Electric Moon are oh so good at creating.

There is vast sound to the recording and that the guitar lines keeps repeating itself almost hypnotically and you know it is taking you to a place deep within the outer reaches, then at around ten minutes everything turns up several notches as though the journey is crashing through a meteor shower or the remnants of an exploding star.

From here onwards Sun of Hyperion soars through the night sky as the guitars take you up and beyond, and as the journey concludes through more cosmic turbulence, the 19 minutes could have really been 19 million light years.

Like I said earlier, this is the first time I have properly connected with the sounds of Vinnum Sabbathi, and I wasn’t disappointed. Reading in to the story here, the tracks HEX IV and HEX V are the latest tracks contribution to the bands HEX series, from the Base 16 or hexadecimal numeral system, with a goal of writing 16 songs in total to contribute to split collaborations, like the one we have here. Now that is quite some plan, which will really show their talent in expanding the musical boundaries, which the band look to definitely have, shown by the recording here being done in one take.

HEX IV: Cassini’s Last Breath starts slowly and interacts with the space travel communications between base and satellite, which I’m guessing is taken from real life recordings. As the raw feeling of the guitars play out in a Sleep like way, it doesn’t take long before their space travel slowly picks up some speed and sounds HUGE. Big riffs and cymbals that are recorded to tape this well really are something special. After the communication talk mentions about being proud of an amazing accomplishment, the bass line kicks in like Geezer Butler would, and the spacewalk drifts off into the dark realms of the cosmos.

HEX V: X-15 Research Project starts with early space travel text spoken over a slow bass line, then drum beat, then a big stomping riff that will have all of your head’s nodding in time. Over the 9+ minutes here you have a massive sounding beast of a slow mix of something between stoner rock and doom metal that sounds as though it is being played live right in front of you, it’s that good.

With both songs being the first time I have taken a trip on space cruiser Vinnum Sabbathi to their corner of deep space, I’m hooked and will be going back in time to visit the rest of the HEX.

The split 12” records is a format that more and more labels seem to be putting out at the moment and this one stands up with the best of them. Both bands are thousands of miles apart and have contrasting styles, but both versions of instrumental “heavy” really do complement each other and fans from each band will have no problem diggin’ what’s on the other side of the record.

Psychedelic Salad Records have done a fine job in putting out a couple of different colored versions which can be ordered from their website.

Comacozer - Vinnum Sabbathi - Psychedelic Salad Records 

Review: Nick Oliveri and The Black Armada – Up and Down Under

Australia’s The Black Armada have barely been together a year and have already been dishing out their big groove driven stoner rock supporting the likes of John Garcia & The Band of Gold, Earthless and 1000 Mods. It looked as though music was to be put to tape until the departure of their vocalist a few months back and the current situation around the world has obviously adjusted their plans a bit. I have no doubt through, that after watching their latest live recordings, good things will be coming out The Gold Coast soon.

Back to the song on hand, a twist of fate saw them cross paths and play with a certain Nick Oliveri as he toured Australia last year and a musical friendship was formed, which turned into the track we have here, Up and Down Under.

Starting with a few formidable punk rock chords backed with Nick’s in your face vocals, the riffs kick in early and don’t let up for the next three minutes. Switching between Christian Tryhorn’s big “hit the pedal” driving guitar grooves and the more melodic guitar work entwined with the driving basslines. Up and Down Under tells the tale of Jekyll and Hide which is very fitting for the two musical styles coming together so well, and hearing Nick scream the words is oh so him. Everything is held together with some big drum work from Liam Burgan and the production/mix only makes it sound bigger. I also have to mention how Nick’s voice seems to be getting stronger with every new recording he does lately. 

Head over to Bandcamp to get yourself a digital copy for the collection.

Interview: Sageness

It has been exactly a year since Sageness released Akme on Vinyl, and has evolved in to an album that has received some great reviews across the music scene (see review). Even though it was only their second official release, something just clicked in a recording studio in Spain, producing some musical magic. After speaking with guitarist David, he kindly answered a few questions about the band.

Q1. So how did the whole Covid-19 lockdown and social isolation work for Sageness and you as individuals? Like here in the UK, it looked as though you were all under some heavy restrictions a few weeks ago.

As you say in our country, the government made some very heavy restrictions, we were locked up at home for 3 months, only going out to buy basic things. As for the band, imagine…

I took advantage of writing new songs and riffs and recording some new ideas. Aitor, the new bassist learnt the Akme album and some songs from the first album, and Fran the drummer, he managed to get hold of a digital drum set, so as not to rust and be able to start with some ideas that I sent him.

Q2. Can you explain the meaning behind the name Sageness?

It was Koke's idea, our first bassist. At first when he said it I thought it was a kind of weed, ha ha, but it means something related to wisdom, but with common sense. Exactly the trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight. And we like it how it sounded.  

Q3. I remember reading an interview with you guys a while back and one of you said “music does not need words to tell” which is a good statement. As the band evolves, do you still feel the same way?

Personally, yes. I remember when I was younger and I did not understand the lyrics to songs, but they transmitted many feelings and emotions to me. But of course the voice is an instrument and I value good lyrics a lot too. After listening to a lot of music, I am left with the experiences that instrumental music gives you, due to its sound and complexity of structures, it makes me immerse myself in to it more and somehow travel. I highly value the different sounds and vibrations.

Q4. The tracks on Akme have quite a unique sound in the way that you can make songs that shouldn’t sound heavy, actually sound heavy (but not in a metal way), and other parts sound as though they have been played on almost antique equipment. Has it taken some time to refine your sound and style?

Thanks Martin, I really like that perception you have. Not having a singer, you have to take more care of the song and have to expand the sound spectrum. Personally it has taken me time to find a sound and I have been trying various pedals until I feel comfortable. The effect you refer to may be a pedal that imitates that analogue tape effect touch, or may even be a thing of the mix and the master, because Marco Lima from Herzcontrol did an incredible job, just like our friend Nacho when recording us. We are very happy with the result!

Q5. How do you all go about writing songs? Do you all come to the table with ideas or do you just jam it out for hours, feel the flow and let the music write itself?

I usually go with ideas from home, and at then when together we start shaping it. But we like jamming a lot to see where the song can go, in fact we record those jams and tried to extract the best of them.

Q6. Do you have “Jam Room” so that you can get the right vibe when recording?

We really only have one room and what we record is with mobile phones or with a single microphone. But the room is cosy, and we have a fridge there!

Q7. Can you ever see Sageness having vocals on a track? Or writing a verse/chorus/verse kind of song?

Hmmmm… I think not, but who knows. I see more the possibility of a verse/chorus/verse structure with a bit of something.

Q8. Have you started writing and demoing material for your next release?

Yes, and we are excited about it! But we want to work the tracks without haste, and we are doing that right now by sending each other demos.

Q9. Can you tell us a bit about the artwork for Akme?

Diogo Soares did a great job, with the artwork we loved it at first sight. It has many elements that we think fit with our music: the door, the desert, the space, we see it as a kind of portal. I think Diogo called it "The Healers" and that also fits us well.

Q10. Have you had a chance to get out into Europe to play live? It doesn’t look as though live music will happen much in 2020 with the ongoing worldwide pandemic, but I can see 2021 being the year of the gig and festival. What would I expect from seeing Sageness play live?

This year is going to be difficult, apart from everything that is happening in the World, Fran is still 800 km away, and is coming to visit for a few days. Maybe some concerts near our hometown. Our goal right now is to create another album. We really want to try and play a few concerts in a row soon.

Q11. What the last 3 records you have listened to?

The last ones I have purchased are Kryptograf, Heavy Trip and the last album from Slift. Awesome bands!

Q12. What does the rest of 2020 hold for Sageness? Anything else to add?

We will continue working on the new songs remotely, and if I have the time I would like to record a song on my own. It's not a big deal, but it's our turn right now, but we're excited about the new ideas.

We are trying to edit our first album on vinyl. Many people asked us if we can press it and we believe that we can do it with some help. Stay Tuned. Cheers from Spain and Stay Safe.

A big thanks goes to David for sitting down to answer these questions. Keep an eye out on their social media as their debut self-titled album looks to be getting the vinyl treatment soon, followed by new material which should be arriving not to far after that.

Bandcamp – Facebook – YouTube 

Review: Geezer – Groovy

It must have been five years ago when I took a punt on buying the LiVE! FULL Tilt Boogie cassette after hearing a track online. The tape arrived in its killer packaging with stickers and patches and the recording from Kingston NY back in 2014 totally blew me away.

Fast forward beyond a couple of “end of year top 10” albums in Geezer and Psychoriffadelia, the New York State 3-piece returned last year with the more spaced out psychedelic blues EP Spiral Fires, setting the scene for what Pat Harrington (Guitar/Vocals), Richie Touseull (Bass) and Steve Markota (Drums/Percussion) were putting together for what we have here.

Dig is a word that I recon Pat Harrington says at least 20 times per day and it kicks straight in with a huge rolling riff, backed up with some sweet cowbell. As you’re asked “can you dig it?” it’s already obvious how good the albums production is, as it feels huge. The main hook of the song is based around a couple of big groovy riffs that have that fuzzy edge, and again that cowbell appears and there’s no way you can sit still to this. With a brief interlude, the song slows down a bit, feeling like you’re off out into the swamps and you get the first taste of the bluesy solo guitars that walk away in style and take you out there, before that riff roles back in and you walk with that swagger again.

Atlas Electra starts with a slow riff with a massive groove to it and I can see why people are giving comparisons of 70’s rock here. The song in many ways feels like the more laid back Geezer with a psychedelic touch to it, and that riff wraps itself around you and slowly grows as it takes control. As Atlas Electra slows down in parts, the production has a real up close and personal feel to it, as though you are right there in the studio with Geezer. Again, the solo work, laid back blues and slide guitar pull you in before Pat’s solo elevates everything higher and higher.

Dead Soul Scroll is a real moody affair with a dark trippy atmosphere that sometimes strips it so far back that it feels like Pat is having some sort of spiritual awakening. The final 90 seconds feel like he has been reborn as when the riff kicks in, the whole band let loose and rock out.

Awake rocks like a classic rock 70’s jam with its slow groove that tells you a story on the way to the last couple of minutes when the guitar solo takes over with epic proportions and you can feel your hair in the wind as you cruise on into the night.

Title track Groovy is something else. In my younger years when I first discovered Kiss, their unique way of strutting their stuff made a real impression on me, and the first time I heard Groovy it took me right back there. The riff is warm and fuzzy but has real purpose as you can almost see them strutting down 42nd street, cool as you like and not giving a fuck what you think. From drums to bass to the vocals, everything here just screams Groovy. The chorus with some keyboards and organ in the mix, will be in your head all day. When Kiss first appeared and did their thing on the streets of New York, there was a raw touch of magic, and Geezer have found it here.

The opening riff for Drowning on Empty is downright sleazy in the vein of ZZ Top or Mountain and just rocks after that. Throw in some Hammond organ and big 70’s solos and your set.

Now if you want to lie back and feel the night sky as you take a trip to the unknown, then Slide Mountain is your jam. A slow and winding journey into desert territory, the guitar glides in and out and soars towards the stars in the night sky. Sit back, close your eyes, open your mind, and this trippy five minutes of bluesy psychedelic magic is quite a ride.

Black Owl concludes the album with a huge near ten minute jam. Starting off with a big stoner groove with a southern twist that almost drifts into doom metal territory, Black Owl stomps around like a hurricane moving slowly across the land. Sounding more in the territory of some of their earlier work, I am definitely getting the sounds of Saint Vitus or Spirit Caravan here. As the song stretches out, the instrumental trip through its second half is another hazy trip, seeing all three members musically on top of their game.

What more can I say? Every time you think Geezer have hit their heights, they come back with something even better. With Groovy they pay homage to the best of 70’s rock and fuse it into the bluesy swagger they have more than already perfected. I could sit here and write line after line about how cool the record is, but you really have to go out and experience it for yourself.

Add to the listening the awesome artwork that shines like a backlight and you have an album that you’ll keep going back to for a long time to come.

Released on Heavy Psych Sounds, you know that there is a variety of cool versions to purchase. Dig!

Bandcamp – Instagram – Heavy Psych Sounds

Review: Desertfest Vol. 6 – Avon / Waxy 7”

German label H42 Records thought up the idea of releasing a 2-band split single for the Desertfest a few years back and already they are up to volume 6. Like previous years, it’s a limited run on vinyl and they’re not around for long. What makes this one even more unique is the fact that the festival fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic and never actually happened.

Like previous years singles, I have no real idea how they pick the bands and neither of them were actually playing the festival this year, but when you mention the bands Avon and Waxy, you cannot but think of the Californian desert.

Avon’s track Men of Medan starts with a catchy hook of a riff that keeps returning throughout the next 3 minutes. They have that stoner rock vibe to the songs but their twist on it has a stripped back feeling as though it’s been jammed out there and then. The now 5-piece have the ability to write a song in the classic rock style, backed up with some cool vocal harmonies and when they throw in some guitar solo work, its top draw stuff. Let’s hope the follow up to Dave’s Dungeon isn’t too far away

Flip the record and you have a new song from Waxy, “It’s No Mistake”. Waxy manage to give off a laid back vibe whilst still having that more dangerous punk edge to them. The vocals have a certain harmony to them that is distinctly Californian desert and they flow nicely with what I can best describe as garage rock mixed with very early Queen of the Stone Age. Waxy have worked and played alongside many of the legends of the desert, and you can feel all these influences mixed with their own unique twist. They released their 5^th album, Better on Forgetting, last year and it didn’t get the push or recognition it deserved, so make sure you also get looking for that too.

Again, H42 Records have produced a cool looking package that follows on again with Alexander von Weiding’s killer artwork. The press included 150 red Waxy edition, 150 gold Avon edition and 25 test presses on black. Get to it as I doubt they will be available for long.

H42 Records – Avon – Waxy

Review: Black Rainbows - Cosmic Ritual Supertrip

It feels to me as though Black Rainbows have been around for forever, and as time moves on they seem to get more and more productive with new records and touring, and the more they do it, the better they get. Stellar Prophecy and Pandaemonium raised the bar for the band and the subsequent live shows blew me away every time I witnessed them. With the constant touring, successful side projects and record label, I wonder how they get time to sit down and craft out more killer songs at such a pace, but here we are, Cosmic Ritual Supertrip.

It takes about 20 seconds before At Midnight You Cry kicks in, and kicks in it does. The song has all the structure of a Black Sabbath track with the open ended riffs to the full on rockin’ ones, but that fuzz n’ roll sound that is quite unique to Black Rainbows is all over it. The vocals fit perfectly round the hook of the riff that steam rollers itself through just under three minutes and doesn’t let up. Defiantly a song that will open a show and get the crowd going.

Universal Phase slows it down a bit with a big stomping monolithic-like riff that roles across the plains. Add in some Sci-Fi film quotes in the background and the track conjures up the images of the Earth under attack. The vocals are more hypnotic this time and Gabriele has this great ability to let his voice drift away at the end of a line, adding to the magic. As the song speeds up, the cymbals keep crashing, the guitars keep buzzing and the song finishes as powerful as it started.

You can see why Radio 666 was used as a single/promo video as it has that laid back California vibe to it. Starting off with the strumming guitars and cleaner vocals that have me thinking of 60’s/70’s psychedelia in the way that Monster Magnet always excel at, it creates that easy going feel to it. Whenever I think of Black Rainbows its always bad ass motorbikes, but this time they’ve swapped that for an open top Chevy or Mustang, and the riff hook roll’s on and on likes it’s tearing up the asphalt. I really dig the retro sound here.

You cannot but feel the 70’s groove of Isolation. Opening with a blue’s riff that gets the head nodding instantly, the lead guitar work over the riff is something rather special. After this the track tempo builds and builds with soaring vocals and some water tight percussion and half way through the song just opens up, jams along and doesn’t stop.

Hypnotized By The Solenoid keeps the fuzz but drifts into a warmer trippy psychedelic world. Drifting in with a hypnotic vibe, there’s lots of 60’s coloured lights that drift into Pink Floyd and Hawkwind territory, but still sound distinctly Black Rainbows. Gabriele’s vocals soar throughout, really making this one of the stand out tracks and the awesome solo at the end takes you high in to the sky.

The Great Design is a 2 minute trip through the mind and in to your sub-conscious, building a trippy atmosphere behind a mesmerizing guitar that walks you in to the light. 

Master Rocket Power Blast pulls you straight back from the sub-conscious with a full force assault of big fuzzy guitars. It’s loud, straight to the point and rocks with a slightly punk edge to it. 

Snowball has a huge groove that swings back and forth, soaring vocals, crashing cymbals and lots of guitar soloing and blues work.

Glittereyzed pulls away from the fuzz and creates an atmosphere built up on the strumming guitar work and rolls along with a hypnotic rhythm to it before everything turns to 11 and the song explodes. This is Black Rainbows showing many a band how to do stoner rock.

Sacred Graal closes out the album with more full force stoner rock that many bands only wish they could play. Again, Gabriele’s vocals are absolutely superb.

Now if you have the special edition record or digital version, your journey doesn’t end here, as you have 2 bonus tracks, starting with Searching For Satellites Part I & II, a mystical up-tempo acoustic trip that must have been created whilst sat round a fire under the stars of the night sky. Add in some sci-fi effects in the background and maybe we aren’t alone in the universe.

Fire Breather starts with the line “If you see this big bird, it’s the sign that you’re going to die real soon” which could be very true with the way the world is right now. Lyrics aside, Fire Breather is another rocker of a song that motors down the highway and out in to the desert sun.

Cosmic Ritual Supertrip is quite a ride and Black Rainbows are again on top of their game. The huge fuzzy songs get fuzzier and the psychedelic outings become more trippier. With various special edition versions provided by Heavy Psych Sounds, you know what to do.

Website – Bandcamp – Heavy Psych Sounds 

Review: Old Man Lizard / Big Pig – Split 7”

A couple of weeks ago the news of this split 7” unexpectedly appeared with two bands that I wouldn’t have paired together, but that’s the good thing about records like this.

Old Man Lizard’s track Queazy Like Sunday Morning is an absolute stormer from the moment it kicks off. There’s a twisted fuzzy feel to the guitar that buzzes along and hooks you straight in. There’s a mix of Sabbath and Kyuss with a definite English twist to it. After a couple of well received records, this feels like a step away from their more doomy miserable sounding slabs of metal and more like the band doing a stoner rock anthem. If this is the direction the band are going or not, the track is one of the best I have heard from them. The recording and production is another step up and the vocals, though still sounding strained (not in a bad way) really command themselves throughout the song. It’s like Old Man Lizard doing their Fu Manchu thing.

Flip the 7” and we leave England for California for the track Sweaty Palms by Big Pig. Knowing the Lalli family and Fatso Jetson connection, then you won’t be disappointed with this. It grooves with that desert feel to it, not to fast, not to slow and has that slightly darker twist to it the way the Melvins perfected. Sweaty Palms has a strong fuzzy feel to the song that stomps along, but all the little extras like the laid back grooving guitar that slips in through the background early on or the soaring solo that feels like it’s not a solo, add to what the two piece machine bang out here. I also have to mention how good the male/female vocal harmonies are throughout the song. Let’s hope they recorded more new songs at the same time.

The 7” is part of a limited split series by Wasted State Records so if I was you I would be ordering now before they’re gone for good.

Wasted State Records – Old Man Lizard – Big Pig  

Interview: Astrodome

One of Portugal’s finest heavy psych export’s Astrodome have been quiet of late. Hopefully it’s a sign that the instrumentalists are hidden away some place, jamming out new music. Let’s find out…..

Q. So how is the Covid-19 lockdown and social isolation working for Astrodome and you as individuals? What restrictions are holding you back right now?

It's been a tough time for everybody. As a band, we had to stop jamming and rehearsing like we normally do and started adopting some other ways of being productive. We also had a show cancelled in our hometown that we were really excited about, since the last time we played there was quite some time ago! As individuals, since we are not full time musicians, we try to work from home as much as we can.

Q. Astrodome have been quiet over the last few months. Does this mean that you are in the studio or in the writing process for album number three?

That's right, we are mostly focused on the writing process of the next album, for this album we decided to not rush things and take our time, maybe for a next year release, we hope...

Q. How do the 4 members go about writing songs? Do you all come to the table with ideas or do you just jam it out for hours, feel the flow and let the music write itself?

We don't have a particular way of writing songs. In the beginning, we definitely used a lot the classic "jam and let's see what happens" formula, but that way of making music can sometimes lead to monotony and repetition, and we are trying to not fall in the mistake of releasing the same album over and over again. As we get more maturity and responsibility as a band, we think it's important to start adopting some other ways of thinking and composing, so, it's not impossible that if someone brings an awesome and fully structured song to the rehearsal or if the drummer creates a cool guitar riff, it won't end up being an Astrodome song! There's no rules...

Q. Do you have “Jam Room” so that you can get the right vibe when recording?

We do have a rehearsing space or if you wanna call it, a jam room. It doesn't have the most inspiring vibe ever since it's located in a basement but it gets the job done... we guess! (haha)

Q. It has been well documented with the mess your previous record label left you with at the release point for Astrodome II. Did you ever get all the legal stuff sorted? And on a better note, do you think we will ever see the record available to buy as it deserves a proper release. 

Oh man! That still haunt us to this day! We have sorted most of the stuff, except for the streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, we still couldn't get control over that unfortunately. We also still get contacted by people who are not aware of the problem and think that we scammed them. Nightmare...

About the record, we would like to release a new edition of it and the previous one also, maybe at the same time we release of our third album? Maybe sooner? Let's see!

Q. Can you tell us a bit about the cool artwork for “II”?

We started working with talented artist Clara Pessanha on the cover artwork, discussing references for illustration style even before finishing the album. In a certain way at some point the music, artwork and the concept of the album were mutually developed, and they're deeply related with each other.

It represents something like how our perspective on things changes as we move through space and time. We see a mirage of the Sun, which we forget as we get into the landscape. As we move forward, we realize the Sun is there and it is real, so we celebrate it. On the back cover it turns out that, although it is there, the Sun doesn’t hold itself as we thought, and there is a titan raising it. It has to do with subjects of curiosity and illusion, scepticism, belief, devotion, ending with deception, the final surprise revealing that the truth is different from everything we thought before. This is related to what happens throughout the music, like its tonality, or root note changes.

Q. “II” was released, like the first album, on cassette. You must be a fan of the format and enjoy seeing it make a small comeback?

Actually, those releases were just something that happened naturally. We have a friend, Jonas that had just started a small label and booking agency called Ya Ya Yeah! and he wanted to start releasing some bands that he likes on cassette, so he just asked if we wanted to be the first band and "test the waters". We guess that tape and analogue stuff is one of those "fetishes" that every band must have, and a cassette is an awesome piece of memorabilia you can get from a band, so it was a cool thing to do!

Q. Have other labels approached you to re-release “II” or release a new record?

When we announced all those problems with our ex-label, we got contacted by a couple of labels who shared their interest in working with us but none of them actually said something definitive, we also didn't want to rush things and end up being in a bad situation again so we decided to let the things cool down for a while and think about all the possibilities sometime later when we have our next album... 

Q. Can you ever see Astrodome having vocals on a new track or a song that has a verse/chorus verse/chorus structure to it?

We can't say we don’t see that as a possibility. We try to impose ourselves less and less on what we can or should do, and we let things evolve in ways that are not necessarily the same as what we've done so far. We work on every new track based on an idea that is being built, and the structure develops accordingly. Someday an idea may justify having vocals, or having verse / chorus verse / chorus structure, or both. We don't have anything against that kind of structure.

Q. I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing Astrodome in the live setting yet, what would I expect from one of your shows?

We think our live shows are a completely different thing from our studio albums, at least we try to make it that way and honestly that is the exciting part of seeing a live concert from a band that you like. When we have the right conditions, we try to set up a mood that makes it more like an experience rather than a musical concert, we use lights, drones and sound effects for an uninterrupted show. Hope we can meet you at one of our concerts in the future! 

Q. Once the world starts to get back to normal, will Astrodome be hitting the road again to tour?

Unfortunately we are not full time musicians so we have to carefully manage our time between our jobs, making music, playing live and taking care of the band’s "office" side. Playing live and doing a good show requires a lot of practice and planning and we agreed that while working on the new album, we would play less shows and that's what we are trying to do. We are really focused on making a good album. We might still play here and there but we don't think we will hit the road very soon for another big tour.

Q. With festivals like Sonic Blast hosting some awesome line-ups over the last few years, the psych/stoner music scene in Portugal looks to be getting bigger. What other Portuguese bands should we all be checking out?

Sonic Blast is our favorite festival to play and to be as a fan, and it definitely helped the "scene" getting stronger and we even risk to say that it influenced many new bands being created! About the bands suggestion, it's going to be hard to list them all because there's a lot of amazing stuff happening in the heavy and psych scene, and we are friends with almost everyone! We recommend the "classic" ones like Black Bombaim, 10000 Russos, Solar Corona, Stone Dead, Kilimanjaro, Big Red Panda, Black Wizards, and some of the newer stuff like Jesus the Snake, Fuzzil… There's a lot happening and we could stay here for days listing them all, and that's great!

Bandcamp – Facebook – Instagram