Since the third offering from Boston heavy psych aggressors Ichabod was intended for release last year, one can only imagine they didn?t know it would wind up coming out the same month as a John Cusack movie of the same name. I looked back in the archives, and such a phenomenon is a first. No one was nearly as timely with a record called Better off Dead.

2012 follows four years behind 2005?s Reaching Empyrean, and the growth in the band is palpable. There?s still the roots of sludge aggression, but the band have progressed to the point of incorporating more clean vocals and more complex structures. Listening to ?Giving up the Ghost,? the verse riff is undeniably stoner, and the later bridge is straight out of Sabbath?s ?Iron Man? — though put to good use — but Ichabod encase these influences in a multifaceted context that?s bound to surprise more than a few listeners expecting something simple and straightforward.

The album was recorded at Mad Oak Studios by Devin Charette, and the production is crisp and sharp despite some issues with Phil MacKay?s snare drum, which sounds flat compared to what?s around it. Greg Dellaria?s bass is lively and present in the mix, adding much-appreciated thickness to the songs. Dave Iverson?s guitar, rarely appearing in a single layer, is rich and the root of many of 2012?s successes — not to take anything away from Ken MacKay?s vocals, which in their clean incarnation vary between a Facelift-era Layne Staley and a From Bliss to Devastation-style Tim Williams and when screamed come on with an intonation and cadence reminiscent of Devin Townsend?s work in Strapping Young Lad. MacKay?s ability to adjust his approach to the music is a tremendous asset to the band, as a track like their cover Pink Floyd?s ?Nile Song? simply would have been impossible to pull off otherwise.

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It was a three-night tour and I, being a colonel among the weekend warriors, missed Friday night in Boston, but hopefully made up for it Saturday and Sunday in Maryland and Connecticut, respectively. Afforded a chance to catch the likes of Cortez, Ichabod and When the Deadbolt Breaks live two nights in a row, it was not an opportunity I was going to pass on. They called it the Amped for the End tour. Pristina was on the bill as well, but fuck Pristina. They blew Saturday, played their wannabe Meshuggahcore first and then split before the next band even went on. It’s not there were so many people there; it was basically the bands playing to each other and a few sporadic others. Splitting was a dick move.

Sunday they didn’t even show up. They live in Connecticut. Screw those guys. Who names a record Boner Jams?

The other three bands, by contrast, were killer. The sound at Krug’s Place in Frederick (where Stoner Hands of Doom X will be held next weekend) was a little muddy, but everyone seemed to be having a good time anyway, and it’s not like Deadbolt was about to break out the catchy corporate number that required absolute clarity. This is doom. Muddy works. It was clearer at the El n Gee in scenic New London the next night anyway, so in watching the three bands, you got a taste of both worlds.

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