Following last year’s live CD/DVD excursion The First Landing with a new self-released, self-titled studio full-length, North Carolinian collective Tasha-Yar emerge from the wooded hills they call home with a much more realized vision of their sound than they presented in 2010. The six-piece are firmly entrenched in the space rock genre, and the eight tracks on Tasha-Yar make the most of analog synth in the classic ‘70s tradition (though modernly produced), balancing the occasional heavy rock groove against all manner of underlying swirls and flourishes. Like much of its sonic ilk, Tasha-Yar is headphone-ready in terms of revealing its subtleties best with direct contact, but even in the car, the band get their point across. They like Hawkwind. They like Ash Ra Tempel. They enjoy the occasional cosmic excursion. Even better than Tasha-Yar are at making those points, however, their ability to balance ambient soundscaping with driving psych puts them in a different class entirely when it comes to the new league of interstellar seekers.

Although they’re immediately notable for their connection to über-hip North Carolina outfit U.S. Christmas, Tasha-Yar veer more directly into echoplexed churning and have less of a focus on outright tonal thickness. The double-guitars of Chad Davis and Ben Teeter take the lead on a couple of the tracks – opener “Twisted Sage,” the shorter “Flight of the Scanners” and later into “Empty Hand,” but more than that, they’re merely participants in a bigger happening. Both Teeter and Davis also contribute synth, and Tom Devlin III handles nothing but, so with the potential for half the band to be tripping out on knob-twiddling at any given moment alongside bassist John Presnell, drummer Tim Greene and vocalist Joe Sample, it’s safe to say Tasha-Yar give considerable emphasis to the lush aspects of their sound. Indeed, as much as the periodic “heavy part” acts as an offsetting moment of excitement, many of Tasha-Yar’s highlights come in the form of the quiet interplay between the synth and guitar, as with the beginning of opener “Twisted Sage,” which takes the first four of its total eight minutes to affect a slow build around shifting frequencies in and out of the aural spectrum.

“Twisted Sage” also sets the tone for the trade between loud and quiet volumes, which Tasha-Yar engage across the next seven cuts. Sample’s voice has an Al Cisneros-style cadence on the later “Empty Hand” and the closer, “Judgment Hour,” but takes the melody in a different, less referential direction on second track “I. White Squirrel,” which is part one of the three-part “Wasted Light Years” progression. “I. White Squirrel” leads more smoothly into “II. Formation of Being,” than does that song into the more active “III. Flight of the Scanners,” but unless you’re sitting and watching the times change over, you’re likely to just sit and go with it. “II. Formation of Being” might be the low point of Tasha-Yar musically, as the repetition doesn’t quite capture the same hypnotic aspect as other points of the album, but after three minutes in, when the guitars pick up for a solo and the instrumental section that ends the track, it’s satisfying nonetheless. As much as Tasha-Yar are linking themselves stylistically to the traditions of space rock, these songs don’t feel like they’re working with any kind of formula. “III. Flight of the Scanners” feels born out of a fuzzy psychedelic jam (perhaps with Teeter handling lead vocals; hard to know who’s doing what), but “Acorn Falls” is two minutes of pastoral guitar and synth interplay that’s just this side of too rich to be an interlude, containing some of Tasha-Yar’s most effective melody.

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A discussion earlier today on the Facebook prompted me to revisit the acoustic EP, The Bleak, by UK rockers Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight. I think what I like best about it is that while most bands and/or songwriters, when they do their “acoustic album” or “go unplugged,” they just basically do the same thing they do on an electric guitar with an acoustic. Trippy Wicked, on the other hand, break out the ukulele and take a whole new approach to crafting their material. When you’re done with their reimagining of Sleep‘s classic “Dragonaut” (which seems to have earned a “gh” somewhere along the line) above, check out their video for “Separate Paths” here. It’s also quite good.

It was a crazy kind of week, but good. The homework I was supposed to do tonight I blew off in favor of hitting the bar, so here’s to having your priorities in order and making things harder on yourself. In any case, starting with a Monster Magnet live review and ending with a Weedeater live review seemed a good way to go, and if you missed it because it was tucked way at the end of the post, this photo of “Dixie” Dave Collins might be my favorite thing ever. Seriously. That alone was worth the price of the camera.

I also hope you got to take a look at the Brian Mercer interview, both because I’m a fan of his work and because he has some cool things to say about inspiration and the creative process. I think so, anyway, and hopefully you do too.

On Monday we jump back into it. Over the next week I’ll have reviews of the new Tasha-Yar studio full-length and Grand Magus‘ Hammer of the North, and an interview with Wo Fat guitarist Kent Stump about their awesome new album (reviewed here). We’ll close out the February numbers and take a look at what’s to come for March (lots), and I’ll have an update too about the next release on The Maple Forum, so there’s a lot to stay tuned for.

In the meantime, have a great and safe weekend, and if you’re around, I’ll see you on the forum, where — by request — you can now preview a topic just by scrolling over it with your mouse. Fancy that.

It was my first time at Santos Party House. The club, famously shut down last year for dealing drugs, resides in that not-quite-Chinatown, not-quite-financial-district section of Manhattan below Canal St., down by where the Knitting Factory used to make its home on Leonard. It’s kind of a nether-region in New York, at least after 6PM when all the suits have gone home. Stores close. There’s parking. Santos seemed to be doing alright anyway for attracting a crowd; last night’s was the most packed Weedeater show I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a few.

Over in the Webster Hall basement, The Brought Low and Puny Human were opening for Danko Jones and if I’d had half a brain in my head or a memory to retain what goes into said brain, I would have headed into the city early to catch their sets before hitting up Santos, but no, I was playing it cool, waiting to get to the club at around 9:30. Clubs in NYC can go either way these days. In Brooklyn, you’re more or less guaranteed a late night, but you never know who in Manhattan is going to decide at 11PM that it’s time for the dance party to start. To Santos‘ credit, the dance party was downstairs by the bathrooms and Weedeater, ASG and Naam played upstairs. A few years ago, that would have been the other way around.

Naam were on stage when I got in, bathed in blue light, playing songs from their self-titled Tee Pee Records debut and Kingdom EP, which, try as I might, I still can’t find a copy of on CD. They had the vinyl for sale, but any disc smaller than that was a no dice. I’ve seen them a couple times now, and as they make ready to head over to Europe for a Tee Pee label tour that includes a stop at Roadburn, they sound ready for it. “Kingdom,” which they closed with, sounded especially killer, beardo bassist John Bundy‘s backing vocals giving that last chorus an extra push behind guitarist Ryan Lugar.

There are printed signs posted all around the club with messages like, “Santos Wants You To Be Happy” and “No One Knows Who You Are” and an attendant in the bathroom to hand me a paper towel, so there were some mixed messages in terms of what the vibe of the club overall was supposed to be, but I could easily see it being a rave-type place. Still, a ton of people came out for the show, and young people, and girls. Not just girlfriends, either. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know quite what to make of it.

For their part, ASG — who share Weedeater‘s hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina — were heavier than I thought they’d be. I vaguely recall their 2008 Win Us Over debut on Volcom, and it was passable in terms of West Coast-style riff rock, but nothing really landmark. Likewise, their live set was full of killer guitar work, and crowd ate it up each time drummer Scott Key locked into a half-time groove (who could blame them?), but overall, I was left somewhat cold by the performance.

When the lights came down at the start of their set, guitarist Jason Shi took an extra five minutes to check and get the levels on his mic, feeding back into the crowd and apologizing for it, but doing it anyway. Maybe I never got over that. Not to hold wanting to sound as good as possible against the guy, but come on dude, at some point it just has to be what it’s gonna be. I’m sure thinking that makes me a prick. I’ll live.

The last time I remember seeing Weedeater (which, since it’s Weedeater, isn’t necessarily the last time I saw them) was a few years back in an Alphabet City basement that’s not there anymore called Club Midway. Or if it’s there, they stopped putting on this kind of show because they weren’t making any money. Anyway, the place had a decent amount of people in it — not a crowd by any stretch, but a good showing of the NYC faithful. Santos was jammed. I guess the people who’ve moved to the area over the last five years, mostly Brooklynite hipsters, but some humans as well, are of a different mindset than the last generation of showgoers — mine — and more open to this kind of thing.

Part of me wants to be the grumpy old man and tell the damn kids to get off my lawn, but on the other hand, fuck it, good for the bands. If Weedeater can pack a house in NYC and have people moshing to songs on an album that isn’t even out yet, maybe Manhattan will start getting more shows again. And if that saves me driving two hours to Brooklyn at any point, it can’t be all that bad.

Weedeater opened with the start of their new record, Jason… the Dragon, which they were also selling in advance of its release date. “The Great Unfurling” intro led into “Hammerhandle” led into “Mancoon” led into “Turkey Warlock,” and it was a violent, energetic start to the set. Guitarist Dave “Shep” Shepherd sounded huge through a spraypainted Marshall stack, and recent Obelisk interviewee “Dixie” Dave Collins might have the best bass tone in sludge. His cackling vocals seemed to be swallowed up in the distortion and groove surrounding, but he managed to cut through well enough, on more or less equal footing on the stage with Shepherd and be-dreadlocked drummer Keith “Keko” Kirkum.

The highlight of the set and the night for me was “Homecoming,” which Collins introduced by saying something like “Here’s a new song, I hope you fucking hate it.” That riff is one of the best they’ve ever come up with, and whether or not the audience had heard the track before, they dug it hard. Moshing at a stoner show. I guess that’s what happens when the kids show up.

Some bands act angry on stage, posture and look pissed off, but there’s something about the contempt with which Collins delivers his performance that makes me believe it’s genuine. And being in New York, I’m used to bands coming through who hate the town — half the time I’m there, I feel the same way, and it’s only going to take me an hour to get home — but with Weedeater, it was more than that. Some kind of drunken misanthropy-turned-rage that only got more visceral as the set wore on. Toward the end, when Collins said, “We’re gonna play a couple old songs now,” and then launched into “God Luck and Good Speed” from the 2007 album of the same name, I wondered if maybe there was a little extra edge of “fuck you” in his voice, as Weedeater had two albums out before then that, in all likelihood, the crowd wouldn’t know nearly as well.

Their Skynyrd cover of “Gimme Back My Bullets” followed “God Luck and Good Speed,” and they closed with “Weed Monkey,” also both from God Luck and Good Speed, and at the end of the set, Collins — if I heard correctly — advised everyone to “get high as eagle pussy on stilts.” Sound advice, and a little ironic after I watched Santos security drag a dude out by his hair presumably for smoking something he shouldn’t have been, but I didn’t take it.

Instead, I headed down the block to the car and drove back to the valley to be up for work this morning, the wackiness of my recently-purchased Leeches of Lore CD keeping me company along the way. I wound up with a bunch of extra pictures from the show, so if you want to have a look, feel free after the jump.

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Along with their 1974 performance at the California Jam and the glorious 1975 Asbury Park show, Black Sabbath‘s December, 1970, performance in Paris, France is among the group’s most famous bootlegs. Various snippets have made the rounds over the years — mostly video — but the soundboard audio from the show, coupled with the fact that it’s the original lineup in their Paranoid-era, was too good for me to pass up on eBay recently. Maybe it was posting the “N.I.B.” video last week that did it. Maybe it was the wine. Could go either way.

Whatever the case, it was one of those shows I had downloaded forever ago, but definitely of a quality worth owning physically. Even as Ozzy butchers the lyrics to nearly every song — “War Pigs” and “Hand of Doom” are especially brutal — the energy with which he does so practically punches you in the face through the speakers, and Bill Ward holds down “Black Sabbath” like I haven’t heard in any other era of the band. All the material was fresh, immediate, and fortunately, the sound on the War Pigs bootleg is good enough to capture that.

I’m pretty sure it’s a home-print job, inkjet, burner, whatnot, but it’s a silver-backed disc and I paid less than $20 for it, and in this age of sabboots, each of those is rare enough on its own that to have them both at the same time feels like getting away with something. If you’re into Sabbath bootlegs, you probably already have this show one way or another — I’ve never had much interest in collecting bootleg videos, but I know plenty of people who do — but if you don’t, it’s an essential piece to the catalog.

Interestingly (or maybe not), the track list on the back of the CD is wrong, and “Black Sabbath” is not the closer of the show, “Fairies Wear Boots” is. “Black Sabbath” comes after “Iron Man” — written as one word on the CD — though it kicks enough ass it could have just as easily ended the set. “Behind the Wall of Sleep” is another highlight, for Tony Iommi‘s hypnotic solo if not Geezer Butler‘s running bass, which is low on “War Pigs” to the point of needing to be adjusted on the EQ, but well worth the minimal effort of doing so.

There are plenty of other copies out there, and even if it’s a cheap inkjet knockoff that you’re getting, the War Pigs bootleg captures young Sabbath at their most vital and as they never would be again. If you see it, get it.

Following the release of their self-titled debut on Tee-Pee in 2008, the groundswell around Swedish retro rockers Graveyard has been remarkable. The Gothenburg four-piece, born from the same roots as Witchcraft in the band Norrsken, tapped a direct line to the soft spot in everyone’s heart for Led Zeppelin and managed to balance a weighted tonality with upbeat and driving rhythms in a way that a lot of stylized proto-metal or heavy rock simply couldn’t do. The dueling guitars and vocals of Joakim Nilsson and Jonathan Ramm make both their live and recorded output exciting and memorable, and that carries over to their much-anticipated 2011 second album, Hisingen Blues, delivered via Nuclear Blast. Soundwise, Hisingen Blues doesn’t range far from the Graveyard album, but it’s cleaner and you can tell in listening that Graveyard has spent significant time on the road. Their playing is tighter and Nilsson and Ramm have an increased sense of interplay between their voices that comes across especially well on a track like “Uncomfortably Numb.”

There are a slew of ‘70s and classic rock references throughout, from the title of the song just mentioned to the Lynyrd Skynyrd solo contained therein – finally, an answer to the proverbial yelling of “Freebird!” at every show ever – and the spooky organ that populates “Ungrateful are the Dead.” The album starts with the shuffle of “Ain’t Fit to Live Here,” drummer Axel Sjöberg making his presence immediately felt with excellent snare and kick work, a kind of looseness in his playing that’s never actually out of control. It’s perfect for Graveyard’s sound, in any case, and able to switch between the bluesy revival (Ramm and Nilsson testifying with the spirit well upon them, to be sure) of “Ain’t Fit to Live Here” and more swaying grayness of “No Good, Mr. Holden,” which follows. The choruses of both the opening duo cuts make them Hisingen Blues highlights, but there’s something about the material Graveyard that presents that doesn’t beat you over the head. There’s a subtlety to the songwriting that virtually begs for repeat listens, and I’ve found that the more I engage with the record, the more likely I am to have one of the songs in my head.

I wonder if perhaps that’s not my own process of getting past the style aspect to what Graveyard does and into the actual substance of their music, which is considerable. As Hisingen Blues moves into its chorus and I find I too want to raise my hand to be saved (by the devil, naturally), it’s readily apparent that although they’ve obviously got an eye on their visual presentation in terms of fashion and general aesthetic, it’s the songs that are paramount. “Hisingen Blues” shares a partial common melody – I won’t say influence, because it’s a vague connection and could just be something I’m hearing, but nonetheless was strong enough to make me listen for a comparison – to Danzig’s “Going Down to Die,” which is a nice touch either way and another example of the strong vocal work of Ramm and Nilsson. “Uncomfortably Numb,” an appropriate side A closer, is the longest track on Hisingen Blues, and with the aforementioned solo section, makes a great place for those listening on vinyl – which unquestionably the album was made for – to stop and process what they’ve just heard before moving onto the next half.

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You might think that after months and months of telling you how badass Kings Destroy are, or about how their And the Rest Will Surely Perish full-length was my favorite album of last year, or about how much they kill it live, I’d be sick of doing so. Dead wrong, my friends. Kings Destroy are fucking amazing and if you haven’t heard them yet, you should rectify that as soon as humanly possible. Sooner even.

Our friends over at BrooklynVegan have even seen fit to give Kings Destroy a nod — and a much appreciated nod it is — as regards their slew of upcoming live shows, including dates with Wormrot and Deathcycle in Brooklyn, and in Manhattan with none other than Orange Goblin and The Gates of Slumber! If that’s not enough, the band will also be heading south to Miami next week for a gig with Shroud Eater. Here’s info for the shows forthcoming:

03/05 Beelzebub’s Cave Miami, FL with Shroud Eater
03/12 The Gutter Brooklyn, NY with Sweet Diesel
04/03 Union Pool Brooklyn, NY with Wormrot, Deathcycle and a secret band warming up for Roadburn
05/28 Santos Party House New York, NY with Orange Goblin, The Gates of Slumber

Maybe you saw it, maybe you didn’t, but I recently updated the Maple Forum label page with info about And the Rest Will Surely Perish (which, admittedly, should have happened a long time ago but doesn’t seem to have hurt them any). Anyone interested in buying a copy of the record (12 left) can do so using the Paypal button below or in the sidebar of this page. Thanks to everyone who’s placed orders already for your support of Kings Destroy and The Obelisk.

Purchase Kings Destroy’s And the Rest Will Surely Perish:
SOLD OUT

I’ve long been of the opinion that people don’t give Swedish outfit Cult of Luna enough credit when it comes to the whole post-metal thing. Neurosis, well that’s just obvious. Isis, alright sure, they left their mark in the rhythms and there’s no shortage of drummers out there doing that with their snare, but Cult of Luna have had as much if not more overall impact on the genre as Isis, and yet their name hardly ever gets mentioned. Fellow Swedes Koloss, who you can hear on the player below, put their influence to good use on their End of the Chayot full-length, which they’re offering for free download at their Bandcamp page.

I’m willing to grant there’s no small amount of late-era Isis on closer “One Wave,” but End of the Chayot‘s more crushing opening movement is straight out of the cold Scandinavian snows. “Gaia” and “Old Sun Rise” might tread familiar ground stylistically, but they’re heavy and the album is free and sometimes I want to feel like I’m being beaten over the head with churning riffs, so I’m posting the tracks. I’m about as “over” post-metal as the next guy, but screw it, at least Koloss aren’t doing ironic Katy Perry covers or trying to pretend they never heard of Mogwai. They emailed and asked that I help spread the word and I’m a sucker for Swedes. I think we all know the score. Here’s the player:

Even if you didn’t realize it, you’ve probably run into some of Brian Mercer‘s artwork. Maybe it was the cover of the last Zoroaster album, or the posters for any number of Small Stone showcases (last year’s in Mercer‘s native Philadelphia comes to mind), including this year’s SXSW, or t-shirts and posters for the likes of YOB, Lamb of God, Black Tusk and countless others. Mercer‘s art, with his meticulous attention to detail, careful lines and intricate patterning, seems to embody the best elements of the bands he’s working for. The thick black spaces that contrast the often colorful designs and the rich yellows, reds and blues that show up carry with them a weight that’s right in line with crushing distortion and fuzzed out tonality.

He’s been working under the Mercerrock banner since 2002 (website here), and I was surprised to learn through our email exchange that Mercer didn’t attend art school. It’s remarkable, since his aesthetic is so cohesive and his work executed with such precision and consistency — I guess I just thought that’s what they taught you. In any case, he’s picked it up on his own, and as more and more acts and labels are requesting his work, he’s quickly becoming one of rock art’s rising stars in the modern poster revival. Some folks just have it… and then they work really hard on top of that and are successful. Funny how that happens.

His love of the music shines through in the interview below, and at the end of the day that’s what matters most. His recent work for the Metalliance Tour is the excuse for the conversation, but more than that, I wanted to get a sense of where Mercer was coming from as an artist, who inspired him to get his start, and how his style developed over his years working for bands. As you’ll see, his experience is as distinct as the material it’s led him to produce.

Q&A is after the jump. Special thanks to Steve Seabury for facilitating.

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Some bands you just know are going to be unrelenting, and that’s certainly the case with long-running New Jersey mega-doomers Evoken. Their last outing saw them reissue their first demo in the form of Shades of Night Descending on Displeased Records, and now they follow that with four new tracks on a split with Swedish outfit Beneath the Frozen Soil on the I Hate imprint that also released their excellent 2007 full-length, A Caress of the Void. Beneath the Frozen Soil were also last heard from in terms of new material in ’07, when they released a split with Long Island, NY, sludgers Negative Reaction. Maybe they just have something for the East Coast, but either way, the pairing with Evoken makes more sense sonically, as Beneath the Frozen Soil are closer to them in sound and overall feel. What that means as regards listening is that the split is consistent in terms of flow, and if you’ve ever heard anything from either of these two bands, you already know the extremely oppressive nature of their output.

Evoken are positively volatile. Their six-piece lineup (which, near as I can tell, sometimes includes founding guitarist Nick Orlando and sometimes doesn’t) is brutally heavy and agonizingly slow, topped with the unearthly growls of guitarist John Paradiso, who only veers from the guttural to embark on the occasional echoed whisper (see the closing movement of “Omniscient”) or dramatic spoken part (“The Pleistocene Epoch”). If all of their albums weren’t over an hour long, I’d be tempted to call Evoken’s four-track contribution to the Beneath the Frozen Soil split full-length at over 42 minutes; in any case, they’re certainly not lacking in conveyance of aural hopelessness. Drummer/founder Vince Verkay makes the most of his nearly 20 years of experience in the band, easily taking on the task of grounding the 13-minute “The Pleistocene Epoch” – which would confound many – and knowing when to step back and give the guitars room, as on “Vestigial Fears.” Keyboardist Don Zaros provides some respite from the crushing sounds, but between the guitars (Chris Molinari makes three), Verkay’s morose pacing and the added thickness of Dave Wagner’s pace, Evoken are near-lethal in their miserable cohesion. They finish cold (of course) on “Vestigial Fears” and close their portion with “Into the Primal Shrine,” – their only cut under 10 minutes at 7:21 – which is instrumental but for a few non-verbal growls from Paradiso spread across the earlier moments.

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Score one for the miserable bastards out there anytime Sourvein hits the road. The band, who’ve released numerous splits and EPs in their nearly 18 years together but only have two full-lengths under their belt (2000′s Salvation and 2002′s Will to Mangle) have had more lineup changes than anyone can count and have somehow still come out of it with a reputation as a must-see live act. Vocalist/founder T-Roy Medlin — long since the only original member left — is nonetheless leading the charge into a 2011 that will see them release a third LP and tour Europe with a stop at Roadburn‘s Afterburner show on April 17.

Before that, though, they’re doing a run of dates on some of which they’ll be joined by Jucifer. For those who would pick up what the PR wire’s putting down:

North Carolina doom metal heathens, Sourvein, will kick off a short US tour this March. Dubbed the “Disturbing the Peace Tour 2011,” the band will be joined by Jucifer on select dates. Said vocalist/guitarist T-Roy Medlin of the upcoming jaunt: “Can’t wait to hit the road with Jucifer, bring the doom and unleash some new songs’!”

Sourvein Disturbing the Peace Tour 2011:
03/01 Sonar Baltimore, MD
03/02 Volume 11 Raleigh, NC
03/03 Cadelonia Lounge Athens, GA
03/04 Wormhole Savannah, GA
03/05 Checkpoint Charlie’s New Orleans, LA
Jucifer joins tour:
03/06 Rouge Fayetteville, AR
03/07 Hi Tone Memphis, TN
03/08 Exit Inn Nashville, TN
03/09 JJ’s Chattanooga, TN
03/10 Soapbox Lounge Wilmington, NC
03/11 Tremont Charlotte, NC
03/12 Hideaway Johnson City, TN
03/13 Krug’s Place Frederick, MD w/ Iron Man (no Jucifer)

Sourvein are readying to release their third studio full-length, Black Fangs, this June via Candlelight Records [cover art above].

Comprised of two-thirds of the now-defunct stoner outfit Sufferghost, Hamden, Connecticut riffers Curse the Son emerge with the first full-length since their 2007 inception, the self-released Klonopain. It’s an album almost entirely unabashed in its influences, proudly flying the backpatches of Sabbath, Sleep, Trouble and Goatsnake in its seven component tracks, the vocals of guitarist Ron Vanacore fitting right in line with the heavier end of slow stoner/doom rock. Curse the Son, more or less in a wasteland as regards their local scene, maximize their tonal heft in Vanacore’s guitars and the bass of Cheech (no, it’s not that Cheech), as if making up for what other bands might also have on offer, while also keeping a more or less straightforward approach to the style that should be familiar to those experienced in the ways of the heavy underground. In many ways, Curse the Son is a scene band without the scene. All the more respectable then, for them to stand alone and not compromise on what they want to be musically.

And judging by the material on Klonopain – four tracks of which appeared on Curse the Son’s 2009 Globus Hystericus EP in previously-recorded versions – what they want to be musically is slow. To their credit, even when they’re not playing slow, on parts of “Anullus of Zin” or opener “Unbearable Doer of Wrong,” they sound like they are. Vanacore’s guitar tone is essential to this, as he takes a heavily-fedback solo on the opening cut, offsetting some of the Goatsnake-ery in the central riff, but still keeping that molasses-boogie feel. Drummer Rich Lemley does well with the tempo changes the riffs present, but isn’t a flashy player by any stretch or as present in the mix cymbal-wise as he might be on other records in this style. No doubt, Klonopain is led by the guitar and mixed in a way that heavily favors it, but for weedian riff metal, that’s more or less par for the course. Vanacore’s vocals – entirely clean and in the Sabotage-era Ozzy tradition – offer enough change throughout to stave off monotony, patterning themselves on “Y?” in a way that reminds of what Floor did so well and only recently got credit for: blending semi-melodic vocal accessibility with balls-heavy doom guitar, while also leaving room to kick into ultra-Sabbath mode toward the end, launching with a suitable “Right!”

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Call me crazy, but I feel like I’ve used that headline before. Entirely possible, since The Melvins are among the most prolific creative forces known to man, and their constantly-expanding discography requires the utmost attention to be kept up with. One might have thought they’d record some of the shows from their recent residency at Spaceland in Los Angeles for their next live installment, but as the PR wire informs, only fools assume when it comes to The Melvins.

Check it:

The Melvins‘ latest offering, Sugar Daddy Live, a 13-track live recording, will see a May 31 release on Ipecac Recordings. Recorded at The Busta-Guts Club in Downey, California, the album features fan favorites such as “Boris,” “A History of Bad Men” and “The Kicking Machine.”

The band recently completed a month-long residency at Los Angeles‘ Spaceland and are currently in New Zealand with a forthcoming round of Australian dates as part of the Soundwave Festival. The Melvins were in Christchurch when the Feb. 21 earthquake struck but escaped unscathed and are due to resume their tour later this week.

Sugar Daddy Live tracklisting:
1. Nude with Boots
2. Dog Island
3. Dies Iraea
4. Civilized Worm
5. The Kicking Machine
6. Eye Flies
7. Tipping the Lion
8. Rat Faced Granny
9. The Hawk
10. You’ve Never Been Right
11. A History of Bad Men
12. Star Spangled Banner
13. Boris

They’re named after a Mustang engine, they rock like the ’00s never happened and their album cover is a shockingly attractive shade of orange — how could I not want to hit up Deptford, NJ, power trio Boss 302 with Six Dumb Questions about who they are and what they do? Their self-titled album (review here) was chock full of riff rock for the choir and, until I get to see them live, this is as close as I’m going to get to understanding where they come from.

Fortunately, drummer Mike Lerro was accommodating in his answers and forthcoming about the relatively recent inception of the band, their involvement with Kasper Racing, Toil Records and his goals for the band. As they’re a group of dudes clearly writing songs because they love the sound and the style, I’m more than happy to give them the space and hopefully get them introduced to some friendly ears.

Mike Lerro is joined in Boss 302 by his twin brother Larry Lerro on bass/vocals and guitarist/vocalist John Modugno. Please enjoy the following Six Dumb Questions:

How did Boss 302 get together? Is being in a rhythm section with your own brother a pain in the ass or easier than working with someone else? What inspired you to form the band?

Boss 302 got together about two years ago. Larry had some demos he had and wanted to record them at a friend’s studio (NVRWR Studio). Me and John went in basically as session guys just putting down basic tracks with John adding solos and some backing vocals. The three of us were in a band with another lead singer years ago so it was just natural to pick up where we left off effortlessly. It went so well after so many years of not playing together — the chemistry was obviously there — we’d be foolish to not take it further and do it more as a band as an equal effort approach and see where this could go. We instantly started writing all new material and it just took off. “Falls Apart” is the only thing that has remained from those sessions. Playing with my twin brother does make it easy. It’s so easy and a lot of the time very unspoken what we’re supposed to do — we just fall into the rhythm naturally. As brothers and people we’re all very low drama and easy to get along with so thankfully no Oasis brother-type fights have erupted within the band. It’s been smooth sailing so far.

Talk about the songwriting process. It seems like there are a couple different influences in the tracks on the self-titled. Does one person come up with all the material, or is it more of a shared responsibility?

We have a few ways to go about our writing. A lot of the time Larry demos a lot at home and presents it to us in practice and we all mold it into a proper Boss song. Or John or I write a riff or two and bring it to the table and see what we got from there. And our favorite way and where I feel we do our best work is ”on the spot” stuff. Where John or Larry will play a riff and one of us will say “What was that?!” and it turns into a monster. The newer stuff, not on the album, we’re doing now has taken an interesting turn where we’ve never gone before. Heavier, darker, groovier, maybe a little slower — very cool.

I thought I heard a lot of Helmet in the riffs and vocals on the album. Are they an influence at all?

Helmet is absolutely a huge influence obviously. We hear that a lot. Larry‘s vocal style reminds people of Ozzy (and Page Hamilton too). We definitely do not shy away from our influences. We wear them proudly on our sleeves. But we definitely do not try to sound like anyone ever — never will. The stoner rock genre best fits us if I had to pick one. With Queens, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Sasquatch, etc. as bands we obsess over — so it’s hard not to have some of that stuff spill over into what we’re doing. But Motörhead and Sabbath are big influences also along with so many others. I don’t think there is anyone the three of us admire more than Lemmy. The guy just has so much integrity and refused to bend to trends or sound like anyone. It’s incredible how consistent all of his albums are to this day.

How much playing out are you planning on doing? Do you see yourselves being able to hit the road at all to support the self-titled?

With families it’s hard to do a long tour across country. It’s not out of the question that we would do it. If the right opportunity presented itself we would jump at the chance. We do a lot of shows in our area. Our live shows are what represents us best we feel. We tried to capture a live feel for our CD. We have some big shows coming up too at the Hangar 84 in Vineland, NJ, The Note in West Chester, Dobbs, the M Room and the Millcreek Tavern in Philly (with Clamfight).

How are you guys involved with Kasper Racing? I saw the picture of your logo on the car. Have any of you raced before?

We’ve never raced before. Larry and John both had Mustangs as kids and we all love those cars. The idea of the band’s name came from us comparing our sound to the intensity of an old BOSS 302 Mustang (story here). The Kaspers are friends of ours who all race — the brothers and even one of their sons do too. They’re really great at what they do. And we have a lot in common with them in regards to both of us are doing something that we truly love instead of doing it for money or ego. If something big comes of it — great. But definitely not our goal. It was a natural fit to be involved with them first because of our band’s name but a lot of our songs could be looked at as being “car related.” “Highway” and “Speedfeak” (while it is about Lemmy) we are making a video of it with some of the Kasper‘s racing footage.

The album came out in September. What do you have planned for the rest of this year? Will you do more writing or recording before the world ends in 2012?

We are definitely writing now while playing out at the same time. We just want to keep doing what we’re doing at our own pace, on our own terms. Thankfully, we’re with a great label [Toil Records; website here] who really supports us and just lets us roam free creatively and totally trusts us in what we’re doing. We’d like to do more shows with bands we respect and love on the national level while at the same time playing the fun, cool shows in our little scene of bands and friends.

Boss 302 on Facebook

Toil Records

Originally released in 2002, Rwake‘s Hell is a Door to the Sun is a fucking monster of an album. Long before post-metal solidified and was considered a viable genre, the Little Rock outfit were hard at work blending crushing sludge and darkened ethereal psychedelics in a way that has only become more their own over time.

Relapse Records is set to reissue Hell is a Door to the Sun next week, with a new mix from the ever-present and (why not?) effervescent Sanford Parker, a remaster job and artwork that does the disturbing sounds justice. If, like me, you came aboard the good ship Rwake with 2004′s If You Walk Before You Crawl, You Crawl Before You Die, or after, you really should hear this:

Rwake‘s Hell is a Door to the Sun will be out on Relapse March 1, 2011. More info and pre-orders here.

Stalwarts of the New Jersey stoner/heavy rock scene, The Atomic Bitchwax have come a long way since their 1999 self-titled debut on Tee Pee Records, and not just in terms of lineup. The band, once considered by many an offshoot of Monster Magnet for the participation of guitarist Ed Mundell, has endured under the careful eye of bassist, vocalist and founder Chris Kosnik, who found a virtual stylistic rebirth when he teamed up with former Core guitarist Finn Ryan for 2005’s 3. Having also survived the departure of drummer Keith Ackerman (who has since joined and left Solace) and recruited Monster Magnet/Riotgod’s Bob Pantella for the more pop-oriented TAB4 in 2009, which also marked their return to Tee Pee after a stint on MeteorCity, The Atomic Bitchwax are back in 2011 with the curiously non-numerically titled The Local Fuzz.

Admittedly, neither the Spit Blood nor the Boxriff EPs had numbers in their title, but The Local Fuzz is definitely a full-length album at 42 minutes, so maybe it’s the fact that it’s so different from anything The Atomic Bitchwax has done before that inspired the change in nomenclature. The Local Fuzz is comprised of a single titular track that runs, reportedly (I feel remiss in confessing this, but I didn’t count for myself), through a course of no less than 50 riffs, and is entirely instrumental. Compared to the tightness of songwriting and adherence to structure that showed itself on TAB4 in songs like “Sometimes Wednesday” and “Wreck You,” it’s a definite curveball on the part of Kosnik, Ryan and Pantella, and though there are parts throughout where it sounds like one of The Atomic Bitchwax’s many instrumental introductions and interludes that have been spread over their discography and live shows – rather than a larger work, that is – for lovers of the riff, The Local Fuzz cuts out just about any middleman you can think of. It’s probably the most direct line to the essence of heavy rock you can take.

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