WORSHIPPER drop first video single 'Acid Burns' and release details of new album "One Way Trip"

WORSHIPPER drop the hard rocking track 'Acid Burns', which sports some glorious Iron Maiden-inflected riffs within the beautifully-designed 70's aesthetics of the track's psychedelic video clip. 'Acid Burns' is the first single taken from the Boston psychedelic hard rockers' forthcoming third album "One Way Trip" which is been chalked up for release on July 19, 2024.

 
Please see below for album details of "One Way Trip".

The video 'Acid Burns' is now available to view below 

You can pre-order One Way Trip now via Magnetic Eye Records

WORSHIPPER comment on 'Acid Burns': "This song is a fast one for us with a nod to NWOBHM but with a surf bridge", guitarist and singer John Brookhouse explains. "Is it about... the perils of tasting the void? Sure. 'Acid Burns' was the first track that we worked on for this record. I love Alex’s solo as it reminds me of a lost Adrian Smith take from 'Powerslave'. Lyrically, you can look at it in a couple of ways, but obviously, it's all through a psych lens. I always like to play with double meanings and mix up metaphors.”

Tracklist

1. Heroic Dose

2. Keep This

3. Windowpane

4. Only Alive

5. Acid Burns

6. James Motel

7. The Spell

8. Onward

With their third full-length, "One Way Trip", Boston, MA psychedelic hard rockers WORSHIPPER have perfected their grand balancing act between classic hard rock and old school heavy metal that is empowered to soar high with the injection of a healthy dose of psychedelia. Rock and metal are all about the hooks and riffs, and the American quartet serves out those catchy delicacies in more than generous helpings.

Although the album title "One Way Trip" and some of the record's songs could be interpreted as relating to drug culture, things aren't so literal here, as WORSHIPPER take a more kaleidoscopic view of the human condition through a psychedelic lens. During the making of the album, three band members suffered personal loss. The opening track, 'Heroic Dose' for example revolves around the choice of a father who had realised in a 'psychedelic epiphany' that he faced a choice between either enlisting or being drafted and sent to the front lines of the Vietnam war. This is also reflected in the order of the tracks being influenced by the psychological horror thriller "Jacob's Ladder" in which a Vietnam veteran is plagued by flashbacks and monstrous visions, and which added a loose circular concept to the entire album.

That a band from Boston takes inspiration from the dark side of art is probably no coincidence as New England is home to such grandmasters of horror as H. P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. Coincidentally, the rebellious city that sparked the American War of Independence and the region are also sizzling hotspots of the East Coast rock scene.

When WORSHIPPER were founded in 2014, it was clear to singer and guitarist John Brookhouse, drummer Dave Jarvis, bass player and backing vocalist Bob Maloney, and guitarist Alejandro Necochea that their new band had to stand out given the high concentration of like-minded and talented local peers. With the mission statement of bringing something exciting and fresh to the table, the still intact original line-up has cranked out impeccable heady and heavy stuff with an emphatic focus on real songs with hooky melodies, creepy vocal harmonies, and twin guitar heroics from the moment of inception.

WORSHIPPER's gift for catchy epic songwriting did not go unnoticed, and soon a record deal established the band globally with the albums "Shadow Hymns" (2016) and "Light in the Wire" (2019) receiving worldwide praise. Their quick success also opened doors for heading out on the road, and WORSHIPPER gladly accepted offers to tour with WEEDEATER in the US and THE SKULL in Europe as well as sharing stages with kindred spirits and heroes such as ELDER, LUCIFER, ACE FREHLEY, and MONSTER MAGNET among many others.

With "One Way Trip", WORSHIPPER not only fulfil the high expectations their third full-length was saddled with, but the Americans are obviously enjoying doing exactly what they're best at: writing damn great songs for an album that has only killers and no fillers!

Line-up

John Brookhouse – vocals, guitar, synth

Dave Jarvis – drums

Bob Maloney – bass, backing vocals

Alejandro Necochea – guitar, synth

Links

www.facebook.com/worshipperband

www.instagram.com/worshipperband

Thanks to Magnetic Eye Records for all of the details.

Austin Psychedelic-Americana band LORD BUFFALO share first single off new album "Holus Bolus"; out July 12th on Blues Funeral Recordings.

Austin heavy psychedelic and Americana purveyors LORD BUFFALO release the first single & video from their forthcoming album "Holus Bolus", to be released on July 12th through Bliues Funeral Recordings.

Lord Buffalo is heavy in the way that ghosts are heavy… in the way that billowing dust is heavy. That is to say, the Austin, TX Psych-Americana band’s music impacts hard, though it seems impossible to touch. Their sound flows through us, it doesn’t invite the Pavlovian response of typical heavy rock music.

Perhaps it’s fitting that their new album "Holus Bolus" takes its name from an antiquated term meaning “all at once.” It materializes instantly from the first opening notes, a grey haze drawing listeners in with deft juxtapositions of droning violin, guitars, drums and vocals.

Watch Lord Buffalo's new video "Holus Bolus"

Stream the single on all digital services

While the quartet wades into the same murky waters as dark emotive brethren Wovenhand, All Them Witches, Chelsea Wolfe, Emma Ruth Rundle, Earth, Echo & The Bunnymen, Nick Cave, the creative interplay of Middle Eastern influences and Western folk Americana takes the record in its own enveloping, meditative direction. Embarking on a sleep-deprived road trance through High Plains iconography, "Holus Bolus" is bleak yet hopeful, a mix that is by now Lord Buffalo's established custom blend.

"Holus Bolus" was recorded by Danny Reisch and Max Lorenzen at Good Danny's in Lockhart, TX, mixed by Danny Reisch and mastered by Max Lorenzen. It will be available in vinyl, CD and digital format on July 12th, with preorders available now through Blues Funeral Recordings.

LORD BUFFALO "Holus Bolus"

Out July 12th on Blues Funeral Recordings (LP/CD/digital)

Preorder on Bandcamp, Bluesfuneral.com and SPKR shop

Exporting the haunting heavy folk of their 2020 full-length "Tohu Wa Bohu" across North America, Lord Buffalo toured as direct support for Elder in the fall of 2023, and previously for England's Church of the Cosmic Skull. They've performed at Psycho Las Vegas (twice), the inaugural Monolith on the Mesa, Ripplefest Texas and more.

NPR Music described Lord Buffalo as, "known for their atmospheric spin on folk-rock, at times sounding like the Anthology of American Folk Music beamed from outer space." The Austin Chronicle called Tohu Wa Bohu, "a dusky, moody, roots-quaking disc of tension and release," and PopMatters summarized the music as, "haunting, American Gothic-inspired lyrical poetry, a torch to light our collective way in times of darkness."

LORD BUFFALO is:

Daniel Pruitt - guitar, bass, piano, vocals, melodica
Garrett Hellman - guitar, sub-bass, piano, synths
Patrick Patterson - violin
Yamal Said - drums, percussion

LORD BUFFALO links

Website ⎜ Facebook ⎜ Bandcamp ⎜ Instagram ⎜ Spotify

BLUES FUNERAL RECORDINGS links

Website ⎮ Facebook ⎮ Bandcamp ⎮ Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR and US/THEM PR Group for all of the info.

The Lumberjack Feedback - The Stronghold (Album Review)

Release Date: April 26th 2024. Record Label: Argonauta Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Stronghold - Tracklisting

1. Kings And Servants

2. Praised The Lord For A Brighter Future

3. Failing To Witness His Mighty Work

4. But All Remembered The Place…

5. The Stronghold

Review

French Instrumental Doom Metal/Post-Metal collective The Lumberjack Feedback return with their epic third album The Stronghold and once again the band take a different approach with their music. As the band is a type of creative outfit that never releases the same type of album twice. The Stronghold may not be as dark as their 2019 album Mere Mortals with the band even adding high amounts of uplifting Ambient Post-Rock compared to the Post-Black Metal carnage that appeared within Mere Mortals.

However, the band still creates vast moments of Psychedelic Doom Metal and Post-Metal with powerful synths being added within the opening track of Kings And Servants. The song is a blend of Post-Metal passages that feels inspired by the likes of Russian Circles and Pelican but with a more sombre and sludgy guitar tone. The record sees The Lumberjack Feedback exploring more SONIC textures and Ambient movements with a Progressive energy allowing the record to be quite organic especially on Kings And Servants and the wonderfully Psychedelic leaning second track Praised The Lord For A Brighter Future.

Praised The Lord For A Brighter Future can be quite therapeutic with a lush and aggressive style of Post-Rock becoming more Post-Doom or Atmospheric Sludge on the later stages of the track. Progressive Metal drumming allows the music to become more daring and melodic at the same time. The Lumberjack Feedback have a free-flowing creative attitude to their instrumental sounds that can be quite surreal and with a world-building quality which they use more intensively on the remaining tracks on the album.

There are small sections of the album where The Lumberjack Feedback abandon their Post-Metal identity and explore the Post-Stoner or Desert/Stoner Rock world to breathtaking results especially on the outstanding third track Failing To Witness His Mighty Work which is perhaps one of the standout tracks. The deft STONER instrumental touches and solitary acoustic guitars allows the listener to see a side to the band that we haven’t experienced before. 

The final two tracks of But All Remembered The Place… and The Stronghold allows The Lumberjack Feedback to return to their Post-Metal world with the heaviest moments on the whole album with that free-flowing Post-Doom or Post-Stoner sound coming at the right opportunity before being deconstructed into a classic style of bleak sounding Post-Metal passages within the final epic title track.

The Stronghold is without doubt The Lumberjack Feedback most emotionally charged, technically impressive and outstanding record to date. All dedicated followers of the Post-Metal scene need to add this wonderful album to their record collection right now. It’s seriously top-level stuff which I’m hoping brings more exposure to this already great band.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.

The Stronghold is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records from Friday 26th April 2024.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

King Of None - In The Realm (Album Review)

Release Date: April 26th 2024. Record Label: Argonauta Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

In The Realm - Tracklisting

1.Speeder Approaching 

2.Low'n'Slow 

3.dpd

4.Thousand Light Year Stare

5.Lizards for Brains 

6.For the Ride

7.Snail Trail

8.The Man Who Bought the Multiverse

9.Crab Nebula

Members

 

Miiro Kärki - Vocals

Patrick Enckell - Drums and percussions

Juho Aarnio - Bass

Aleksi Kärkkäinen - Guitars, additional vocals

Juha Pääkkö - Guitars

Review

In The Realm is the new album from Finnish Heavy/Psych/Stoner Rockers King Of None who explore fantastical ideas on the album with the power of the classic Desert/Stoner Rock sound they continue to weave strands of melodic Heavy Rock. The sound is quite progressive compared to their previous 2019 album Weightless Waters with a mixture of classic guitar shredding and Prog Rock tendencies which you can hear within the opening batch of tracks of Speeder Approaching, Low’n’Slow and dpd. 

King Of None showcase a fine amount of 90’s Stoner Rock and Grunge energy on the album with a passionate 80’s Heavy Rock/Metal sound which gives way to some superb guitar solos and instrumental shredding even within the Desert/Stoner Rock environment. The vocals from Miiro are band on point even when King Of None are venturing into other areas outside the sphere of Stoner Rock/Metal. There’s excellent support from Aleksi with the record having a fine balance of aggressive vocal passages and softer moments never moving away from the Heavy Psychedelic sound of the main story of the album. 

In The Realm feels inspired by certain movie franchises within the lyrics and song titles contained on the album but that could be me looking far too much into things. King Of None shows a deft touch at playing a lush and melodic style of Post-Rock and Post-Stoner on different stages of the album. You can hear musical influences such as KYUSS, FU MANCHU, Monster Magnet and even Soundgarden throughout the album though King Of None stand on their own creative authority by exploring creative avenues such as Alt Rock and Classic Hard Rock which allows the instrumental sounds to be always quite fresh and last long in the memory.

Other standout tracks include Thousand Light Year Stare,  Lizards For Brains, The Man Who Bought The Multiverse and Crab Nebula.

The record lasts for around fifty two minutes length and King Of None doesn't waste a single second by grabbing every ounce of HEAVINESS and STONER METAL goodness that become quite JAZZY and DOOM METAL dominated in places. There’s a sense of realism and grittiness to King Of None’s music even when the album becomes more FANTASY driven within the creative narrative of the record.

King Of None have teamed up with Italian Powerhouse label Argonauta Records for In The Realm and it feels like the perfect fit for both parties. As they both bring a subtle and rebellious quality to the underground Stoner Rock/Metal scene which is what we can all do with from time to time. 

In The Realm is a record full of scope and adventure that allows King Of None to deliver an album packed full of incredible STONER based grooves and sounds from start to finish.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.

In The Realm is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records from Friday 26th April 2024.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

The HazyTones - Wild Fever (Album Review)

Release Date: May 10th 2024. Record Label: Black Throne Productions. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Wild Fever - Tracklisting

1. Wild Fever 

2. Red

3. Inside of Your Brain 

4. Night is Young

5. Disease

6. Down

7. God Told You

8. Eye for an Eye

Members

 

Mick Martel – vocals and guitar

Gabriel Prieur (PRIEUR & LANDRY) – drums

John Choffel – guitar

Caleb Sanders – bass

Review

Psych/Doom/Stoner Metallers The Hazytones return with Wild Fever which is their first new album in over six years. The record sees the band become more destructive, aggressive and heavier compared to their previous albums. Wild Fever is full of passionate 1970’s Hard Rock sounds and seedy Fuzzy Psychedelics which merges the street level style of Doom/Stoner Metal which is heard throughout the record. 

However, despite the more menacing approach, The Hazytones haven’t skimped on their classic blend of melodic RAWK ‘N’ ROLL which is heard within the superb opening track of Wild Fever. The band combines Proto-Doom, Classic Hard Rock and modern day Psych Stoner Rock which allows Mick’s vocals to take a more commanding performance. The vocals and lyrics are very much part of the Classic Rock movement but still having a more refreshing Stoner Rock theme throughout.

Second track Red sees The Hazytones deliver a classic TWIN guitar style reminiscent of Thin Lizzy and some epic HEAVY METAL touches that feel inspired by Metallica in places. However, the Proto-Doom and Stoner Rock sound reigns supreme even when the band play more epic sounding Twin Guitars with a thumping Psychedelic vibe that allows the guitar shredding to become DOOM & GLOOM on the closing stages.

Third track Inside Of Your Brain opens with an epic Instrumental Jam with even more screeching guitars and a seedy Fuzzed Up attitude with first rate drumming from Gabriel perhaps being the main highlight. It’s a short instrumental track which soon gets the blood pumping for the next heavy round of Aggressive Stoner Sounds to appear.

The next two tracks of Night Is Young and Disease sees The Hazytones become ever more accustomed with the DOOM & GLOOM surroundings of their heavier Stoner Metal style with a frantic Sludge Rock sound appearing. The vocals are excellent once again and homage to the world of 1980’s Hard Rock/Heavy Metal. Wild Fever is quite outlandish with the band having a blast conjuring up sinister amounts of gloomy Fuzz/Stoner Metal with a THRASH outlook which is perhaps the most technically impressive on the album.

The final three tracks of Down, God Told You and Eye For An Eye once again sees The Hazytones combine the worlds of Classic Heavy Metal and modern day Doom/Stoner Metal with intense blasts of melodic Psychedelic and Proto-Metal sounds. God Told You and Eye For An Eye are my favourite tracks on the album with the newfound seedy and sinister creative energy that soon gives way to more wicked sounding instrumental passages that allows Wild Fever to become quite a destructive force of nature that also benefits from first rate production values.

The Hazytones have called upon two imposing figures from the Doom/Stoner Metal scene to make this album a demented reality. WO-FAT’s Kent Stump is on mastering duties with MONOLORD's Esben Willems on mixing duties. Two more great reasons to check out Wild Fever as they give the record a more muscular sound. 

Wild Fever is a ferocious record which ultimately earns its place under the “DOES IT DOOM” category and on this evidence WILD FEVER does indeed DOOM from start to finish. The Hazytones have made their most impressive and brilliantly entertaining record to date.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to C Squared Music for the promo.

Wild Fever will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Black Throne Productions from May 10th 2024.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Black Tusk - The Way Forward (Album Review)

Release Date: April 26th 2024. Record Label: Season Of Mist. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Way Forward - Tracklisting

1.Out Of Grasp

2.Brushfire 

3.Harness (The Alchemist)

4.Lessons Through Deception

5.Breath Of Life 

6.Dance On Your Grave

7.Against The Undertow

8.Lift Yourself

9.Ocean Of Obsidian

10.Flee From Dawn

11.The Way Forward

Members

 

Andrew Fidler - Guitar + Vocals

James May - Drums + Vocals

Chris "Scary" Adams - Guitar + Vocals

Derek Lynch - Bass, Vocals and Synths

Review

Sludge/Stoner Metallers Black Tusk have come roaring back to form with their most outstanding record in years with The Way Forward. Their turbo charged style of Punk, Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal which they call Swamp Metal has been at the cornerstone of the scene for almost twenty years now. Their last album T.C.B.T. was made and released after the tragic loss of their brother and band-mate Jonathan Athon which is still a great album felt a bit out of place compared to the rest of the Black Task catalogue.

You don’t experience that feeling with The Way Forward as Black Tusk return to their most PRIMAL and PUNK inspired sound with a catchy Speed Metal style of music buried within their trademark Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves which offers moments of heavy carnage on the bruising opening tracks of Out Of Grasp, Brushfire and Harness (The Alchemist). 

The vocals feel like they’re shared equally between all band members which allows the record to have a constant change of different and aggressive sounding vocals. The Hardcore element is superbly handled throughout with the bone-crunching metallic grooves having a sense of Progressive Metal behind them especially on tracks such as Breath Of Life, Dance On Your Grave, Against The Undertow, Flee From Dawn and The Way Forward.

The Way Forward sees Black Tusk being brutally honest and open with some hard-hitting lyrics spliced throughout the album which matches the bleak sounding music they play on the album. However, there’s a ton of classic Heavy Metal guitar shredding and wicked solos which has that classic Savannah, Georgia blend of metal fusing with other areas of Sludge/Stoner Metal which provided bands such as Baroness and Kylesa. Black Tusk have never gone for a more commercial sound like Baroness have done over the years. They’ve remained a primal force of nature with their music having a quality destructive and nihilistic vibe on certain parts of the album.

You’ll be surprised at the high amount of epic instrumental jams and classic head-banging sounds that Black Tusk have conjured up with this release. Small movements of Psychedelic Rock/Metal even manage to sneak within the Swamp Metal carnage which allows The Way Forward to have a sense of human emotion from start to finish. The clever use of Synths and trippy sound effects shows that Black Tusk are willing to experiment with their own music for the greater good and this allows The Way Forward to perhaps being their atmospheric album yet with some fantastic DRONED OUT textures appearing on the later stages of the record.

The Way Forward is BLACK TUSK doing what they do best and that’s playing a ton of fucked up and fast-paced grooves that destroys everything within its wake. 

Awesome. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Season Of Mist for the promo.

The Way Forward is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Season Of Mist from Friday 26th April 2024.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal Outfit OBSERVERS Release New Video For FRANK POOLE'S DREAM

Instrumental Doom/Prog/Stoner Metal outfit OBSERVERS have just released the excellent new video for the track FRANK POOLE'S DREAM which is from their acclaimed debut album Age Of The Machine Entities released in March 2024.

The album is inspired by the classic science fiction saga 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

You can read my review for Age Of The Machine Entities and the interview I carried out with Martin Kennedy who is the creative mastermind behind OBSERVERS.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Good Boy PR for all of the info.