TRACK PREMIERE:The Riven deliver a raw and soulful slice of heavy rock with "Ain't No Doctor"

London based heavy rock band The Riven are set to create quite the stir within the heavy rock fraternity, they are set to release their gloriously righteous  debut EP “Blackbird”on April 14 2017 and as a consequence it is destined to propel them to the top of every playlist by year’s end.  Make no mistake this band are going to blow up in stratospheric proportions.  The album's five tracks recall the glory of 70s hard rock and is influenced by bands such as Grand Funk Railroad and Deep Purple.

The Riven is the perfect juxtaposition of delicacy set against raw, soulful, heavy rock which tastes all the better when washed down with lots of hot sauce and cheap beer. Formed in West London after an alcohol-fueled songwriting session between guitarist Arnau Diaz and bass player Max Ternebring, they were soon to be accompanied by Charlotta Ekebergh on vocals and  Olof Axegard on drums.

Whilst comparisons with their contemporaries will undoubtedly come their way, naysayer take a walk, this delectable quartet are the perfect remedy for the blues of winter and compose music that warms the soul and puts a strut in your step.  So we are beyond stoked to debut a brilliant new track from their forthcoming EP which you can check out below entitled “Ain’t No Doctor”.  Now where's that beer and hot sauce!!

Band info: bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: The Judge - "The Judge"

By: Theron Moore

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/07/2016

Label: Ripple Music

This one is crazy good, and crazy Sabbath inspired too. Give this band a listen, you’ll dig it.

“The Judge” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). The Witcher

2). Heepster

3). Evil Woman

4). Tartarus

5). Mivub’ and Groovin’

6). Planet Doom

7). Suite of Jam

8). Desire

9). Rock Kickin’ Blues

The Review:

You walk a fine line when you play the retro rock game.  Kadavaris a band that’s pulled it off seemlessly.  Radio Moscow too.  Wolfmother not so.  Kadavar’s music is truly music out of time, you wanna talk being born too late?  Kadavar is.  Radio Moscow is.  But if you cross that line you wind up in imitation land.  Just another sludge rock wannabe.  The previously mentioned Wolfmother occupy this no man’s land.  The Judge, I’m happy to say, has pulled off a real gem here with their self-titled record. 

This one is crazy good, and crazy Sabbathinspired too.  Dylan Jarrett’s guitar playing on “The Judge” is so close to Tony Iommi it’ll mess with your head on this record.  He’s got the technique and sound down to near perfection.  There’s gonna be a ton of comparisons to Sab but the question at the end of the day, is, did The Judge pull it off?  Hell yeah.  And then some.

“The Witcher” opens the record with a spot on take of early era Sabbath.  It’s crazy how close to Sabbaththis is, really makes you do a double take.  But the song works as a whole.  The guitar is so close to Tony Iommi’s sound it’s insane, the vocals sound so much like Ozzy, its nuts, but, you can’t stop listening to it.  It has an ebb and flow to it that works, though. 

“Heepster” keeps the fab Sab vibe moving forward but the vocals are starting to take shape.  I can hear less Ozzy and more Tyler Swope, that band’s singer, but the Oz man inspiration still flows through. 

Two things stand out about third song “Evil Woman.”  Tyler Swope’s vocals are sheer velvet, nothing but heavy cream that in turn allows Jarrett’s guitar playing to get showcased here.  Swope has a nice, bluesy aspect to his voice that carries this song. 

“Tartarus” finds me getting into the groove of the band as a whole.  Only because Swope and Jarrett are as good as they are, you tend to focus on those two and not the whole band but “Tartarus” brings The Judgeinto full perspective.

I won’t go through every song but you get the idea.  “The Judge” as a whole works for me.  It’s not Sabbath rehash, it’s four guys who know how to handle this type of sound and groove, they craft it, they shape it, in the end, they made this sound entirely their own.  Give this band a listen, you’ll dig it.

“The Judge” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Asteroid - "III"

By: Jake Wallace

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 11/11/2016
Label: Fuzzorama Records

It is a hugely diverse record and shows the advanced musicianship between the band, blending all kinds of stoner rock and fuzz. This is a band who are firmly on the rise to the top and know exactly how to get there. One of the best releases of 2016 without a doubt.

“III” CD//DD//LP Track listing

1). Pale Moon
2). Last Days
3). Til' Dawn
4). Wolf & Snake
5). Silver & Gold
6). Them Calling
7). Mr. Strange

The Review:

The Asteroid has landed. Swedish heavy psych giants Asteroid have set the release date for their highly-anticipated third album for 11th November through Fuzzorama Records. It has been almost 7 years since their well-renowned second album ‘II’ was released and the band are back with their most polished, solid record to date. A 7-track album following the naming trend of its predecessors, this is Asteroid - ‘III’.

Firstly, the album artwork is strikingly brilliant. Whoever is in charge of the design and creative direction of Asteroid deserves credit for an unbelievably eye-catching and vintage styled arrangement of their instruments taking pride of place as the album cover.

The album kicks off with ‘Pale Moon’delivering a thick, rumbling bass line which gives way to some eerie psychedelic slide-guitar work. It has a triumphant sounding vibe with lots of dark nuances that give it a truly evil sound. It also has a somewhat spacey feel, with effects playing their part in the backdrop towards the end as the song comes to a close.

‘Last Days’ is the second track from the album and was the first track that was publicly released on Bandcamp by the band after announcing the news of the record coming out this fall. The intro has some nice big chords and paves the way for what’s to come as the vibe changes abruptly. Robin Hirse’s vocals begin as the song slows down and takes on a very similar vocal feel to Alice in Chain’slate great vocalist Layne Staleyin ‘Love/Hate/Love’. Memories of the opening track, ‘The Great Unknown’, from their first release are also re-kindled in this track. The guitar effects bring some very unique sounds to the table and the drum breakdowns are instrumental in making those parts as hard-hitting as they are around the 3:40 mark. The chord section comes back round again at 4:06 and reminds me of a Dead Meadow or Screaming Treeskind of feel. Two tracks in and we already have a diverse selection of music and it’s evident that Asteroid haven’t rushed into their song writing, it was most certainly worth the wait.

The third track ’Til Dawn’ rips back into the classic stoner rock style that we know and love Asteroid for. Their dynamic skill of switching from fuzzed riffs to beautiful, clean sounds is remarkable and they flit effortlessly between the two styles. The middle-end section slows down and each chord is powerfully punched out with some impeccable harmonised vocal parts between Hirse and Johannes Nilsson on bass. Drummer Jimmi Kohlscheen stands out on this final section as the drums are building in power and ferocity as the track climaxes before winding down with ease and ending on another sweet, clean chord.

‘Wolf & Snake’ has a very mellow vibe and reminds me of something that should be played as the sun sets on the beach at the infamous Dunajam Festival. This specific style of stoner rock is extremely pure and incorporates both the calm, mellow vibes and the earth-shaking fuzz. The intro section reminds me a lot of bands like Colour Haze and Sungrazer although Asteroidhave their own brand of heavy psych and it’s still incredibly unique. At the 2:00 mark, the song takes off with a blasting rhythm section and some lead parts from Hirse, showcasing his searing guitar abilities. The drums and bass are extremely tight and give Hirse a blank canvas to let rip. Near the 3:50 mark, the tempo drops and the fuzz doubles and we’re witnesses to a crushing, sludgy section. The final outro section is another sharp contrast with clean guitar playing some beautiful sounds.

‘Silver & Gold’ begins with a slow, angelic sounding guitar section before the vocals come in and bring so much to the sound. This track stands out on its own and its superb blend of layered vocals and guitar, gives it that kind of Tarantino movie soundtrack feel, definitely one of my favourite songs on the album.

The penultimate song ‘Them Calling’takes things back up a few fuzz gears and we’re dropped into an Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats style riff which just rumbles on ferociously throughout the song. It also has elements of the late Graveyard from Sweden. Around 3:35 they flick on the ‘evil’ switch and the riff gets steeped in gloom.

The final track ‘Mr Strange’ makes use of some awesome guitar harmonies to begin with before progressing into a lighter sounding, almost Zeppelin-esque section. Around 3:20 the vibe changes again and we have another killer, thumping riff with some spaced out lead guitar dodging and diving through the mix. The end section has some chanting vocals which go extremely well with the harmonies and it all blends into a perfect stoner rock package.

‘III’ is a masterpiece of an album from a band who need no introduction or a manual on how to create masterpieces. It is a hugely diverse record and shows the advanced musicianship between the band, blending all kinds of stoner rock and fuzz. This is a band who are firmly on the rise to the top and know exactly how to get there. One of the best releases of 2016 without a doubt.

“III” is available here

Band info: facebook

FFO: Colour Haze, Graveyard, Sungrazer, Dead Meadow

TRACK PREMIERE: Blues Rockers Captain Crimson "Remind" us how to rock

 

With an established and impeccable reputation that started back in 1995, Small Stone Records, the self proclaimed dealers in the finest in fuzz rock, continue to churn out gold standard releases some 21 years later, not bad when you consider the label was started with a loan of $5000 and a desire to put out record by his friends.

 

The label continues to put out approximately 10 to 12 new releases a year and many of his bands keep busy touring schedules, therefore a band could consider them fortunate to taken under the wings of this truly great label.  One such band is Captain Crimson, a band dealing in the kind of badass blues rock that has made their peers and fellow Swedes, Graveyard, Witchcraft, and Blues Pills household names within the underground doom scene.

 

Formed in 2010 by vocalist Stefan Lillhager, formerly of Blowback, Captain Crimson draws inspiration from the classic sounds of The Groundhogs, Blue Cheer, Jethro Tull, Cactus, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, meeting heavy boogie head-on with a modern swagger that has carried over to their latest and third album, “Remind”, which will serve as their first for Small Stone Records.

 

“Remind”will be released on October 14th, 2016 on CD, digitally and limited edition vinyl and preorders of the record are available here. Today at The Sludgelord in association with our friends at Earsplit PR we are debuting another new cut to remind you how much you need this band in your life.  Check out “Black Rose” below



“Remind” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Ghost Town

2). Bells From The Underground

3). Love Street

4). Black Rose

5). Money

6). Drifting

7). Remind

8). Let Her Go

9). Alone

10). Senseless Mind

 Band info: facebook