Feels like three days ago after that Monster Magnet review, but you might recall earlier this afternoon when I put up that Dopefight video I rattled off a list of badass British bands. Well, I left off Alunah from that list, not because they don’t rule, but because I wanted to take a second to single out the four-piece and say congratulations on signing a deal with the Big Bad Mother’s House booking agency. Hopefully this means Alunah will hit the road prior to the release (and after too, I suppose) of their next album, but until then, I’m looking forward to their set at the Desertfest in London.

Here’s the news, swiped from the band’s website:

We’re very pleased to announce that this week we have signed with Bristol-based Big Bad Mother’s House music talent booking agency.

The agency is home to Riotgod (Monster Magnet members Bob Pantella and Jim Baglino), the Argentinian sludge rockers Banda de la Muerte, Venezualan heavy lords Cultura Tres and many more.

Alunah will be playing the International Powerhouse of Doom Festival on April 5 at Scruffy Murphys, Birmingham, with both Banda de la Muerte and Cultura Tres. Other bands on the bill include Stone Axe, Stubb and Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight.

Both Alunah and Cultura Tres will also be hitting DesertFest in April.

To contact Big Bad Mother’s House regarding an Alunah booking please email: info@bigbadmothershouse.com, call (UK) +44 1179390432 or +44 07505775703 or visit: http://www.bigbadmothershouse.com.

Got in from the Truckfighters show a little before 3AM last night, so rather than even open the laptop to post something, I just went to bed. I’ll have a full review of that show come Monday, but yeah, it was something else. The tour dates are here; if they’re coming by you, you should go. Especially if Valley of the Sun are on the bill too. I imagine the two of them together makes for some pretty formidable fuzz.

Coming off that gig last night, I wanted to cap this week with something thickly toned, next-gen and mightily grooved, and UK outfit Alunah seemed just right. Alunah will release their next album through PsycheDOOMelic in 2012, but “Call of Avernus” is the title cut from their 2010 full-length. Good band, good song. Hope you dig it.

Next week, The Patient Mrs. and I are headed west to Detroit to loaf around and see what’s what. I kind of put in the June numbers post that we were thinking about moving, and it’s not entirely untrue, but it’s more of a backup plan than anything else. Either way, we leave Wednesday night, and I don’t know what that does for posting after that, but if I have time to get anything up, I will. I’ll be seeing Clutch in Flint while we’re out there, so hopefully I’ll be able to do something on that.

I also want to get that YOB interview posted before I split, so hopefully that’ll be Wednesday. That, reviews of Admiral Browning and the aforementioned Valley of the Sun, and a look at Eagle‘s new Deep Purple reissues are all forthcoming, so there’s much to stay tuned for. I’m also headed down to see YOB and Dark Castle at Kung Fu Necktie in Philly tonight, and I don’t think I’ll give the show another full review, but I’ll have my camera on me, and maybe able to post some pictures if I come out with any decent ones. Kind of a crap shoot, as far as that goes.

If you’re going to that, or to Clamfight and Rukut afterwards at JR’s Bar, or if you’re not, I hope you have a great and safe weekend. I’ll see you on the forum and back here Monday.

Congratulations and heartfelt best wishes to riffy UK doomers Alunah, who sent a message on the Books of Face to spread the word that they’ve signed not one, but two record deals in the last week. Honestly, one label probably would have been enough to earn them a “way to go and all the best,” but two! Well, that’s nothing short of “good job, you”-worthy. So, yeah, good job, you.

Follow the riff. Love the riff:

It has been announced that Birmingham based Alunah have signed a deal with PsycheDOOMelic Records; an Austrian label dedicated to doom metal who have worked with such notable bands as Ramesses, Pale Divine, Penance, Orodruin, Voodoo Shock and Wall of Sleep etc. In the same week the band also signed a re-release deal with Seattle based Doom Metal Alliance Records.

Alunah , who formed in 2006, have become known for their relentless gig and touring activity off the back of their Fall to Earth EP (Nasoni Records, Germany) and debut album Call of Avernus (Catacomb Records, UK). The band will release their second album in 2012 through their new deal with PsycheDOOMelic Records, and will re-release Call of Avernus on vinyl later in 2011 with Doom Metal Alliance Records. Alunah will be touring in August 2011 with sludge legends Sally (ex-Rise Above Records, Mistress, Penance) and doom metallers Lifer (ex-Acrimony, Black Eyed Riot).

Last heard from on their 2009 Catacomb Records split with avant doomers Queen Elephantine, the UK stoner doom outfit Alunah now follow with their first full-length, Call of Avernus. Also released through Catacomb, Call of Avernus follows a 2007 demo and the 2008 Fall to Earth EP and features almost exclusively new material from the double-guitar four-piece, centered much around the riffs and vocals of frontwoman Sophie, who finds herself in the forward position across the nine tracks and respectable 49-minute runtime. Alunah, who formed in 2006 and added the ‘h’ to the end of their name sometime thereafter, straddle the line between the heavier end of stoner rock and more doomed atmospheres. Sophie and fellow guitarist Dave create a wall of impenetrable fuzz like Fu Manchu did in their unabashed heyday, but the building those walls construct is different and far less laden with California sunshine and a friendly surf mentality.

Although it feels like a superficial comparison to make, I’d be remiss if I didn’t liken Alunah to the classic work of Acid King, who walked a likeminded line stylistically and with whose vocalist, Lori S., Sophie shares more than a passing similarity in tone and cadence. Highly reverbed laid back female stoner vocals; it’s not an influence I begrudge Sophie or Alunah, and if anything I think it works mostly in the band’s favor throughout Call of Avernus – most especially on centerpiece cut “Eternal Sea” – but it had to be said. The main riff of that song reminds of the bassline in “Southern” from Alunah’s UK countrymen Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight (whether or not the two bands know each other, I have no idea), but I expect that’s more coincidence than anything else. If from all this you’re getting the impression Alunah aren’t exactly original, you’re right, but more importantly, if you listen to Call of Avernus — in either the opener “Living Fast in an Ancient Land,” which starts out with a doomy bass rumble from Gaz (I’m convinced no UK stoner band is complete without a dude named Gaz) before Sophie and Dave join in, or the mid-paced Sabbath groove of the title track – and you try to think of bands who are proffering this kind of unabashed stoner riffage these days, it’s going to be a short list.

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In and out in a little over 12 minutes, this split 7” between British rockers Alunah (whose ending ‘h’ seems a recent addition) and multi-continental experimental droners Queen Elephantine is a quick trip, but a satisfying one nonetheless. Limited to 250 copies and issued through Catacomb Records, each side of the vinyl features one song just past six minutes long and though the two bands work in different atmospheres, there’s a far-off echo that permeates both pieces and builds cohesiveness between the styles.

With “Song of the Sun,” Alunah offer comparatively straightforward riff-based heavy rock, set apart from the pack by the lead vocals of Sophie (no last name given), for whom Acid King comparisons can’t possibly be anything new. Nonetheless, the band spend their time wisely, fading out and back in at the end for an additional few seconds of riffing and lead lines. The four piece aren’t really breaking any new ground for stoner rock, but neither are they offensive. They’re recording a new full-length this year, and I’d be interested to check it out, so if the idea of “Song of the Sun” was to get people interested in the band by giving them a small taste, then it worked.

Whether they’re hailing on any given day from New York, Providence, RI, or Hong Kong, the prolific Queen Elephantine always seem up for a little mind expansion. Somewhat ironic is that by keeping their contribution, “Mephistopheles,” to around six minutes, they’re actually more reigned in than usual. I get the feeling there’s a half-hour version of this song out there somewhere. As it stands on the split, though, the band, led by Indy Shome continue their progressive journey through deconstructed psychedelia. In contrast to Alunah, Queen Elephantine care little for structure and ride their song out to wherever it takes them. In the context of an LP, this can be challenging, but here they keep it relatively on track, which makes for a fascinating balance.

For Alunah, this is their second release following the Fall to Earth EP (also on Catacomb), and Queen Elephantine seem to have a new split or online-only release every few months, so it’s a fair bet we’ll be hearing more from both bands. Going by the tracks included on this 7”, that’s just fine, since they each have something of their own to offer but don’t stray so far from the other as to make for incongruous listening.

Alunah on MySpace

Queen Elephantine on MySpace

Catacomb Records