Boy oh boy, Morgantown, West Virginia, must really have something against vocalists. First Karma to Burn has to basically be ordered to get one for their first record, only to swear them off forever afterwards (only to eventually merge with Year Long Disaster and employ one more regularly), then Treasure Cat comes along wanting no part of any singer’s ego, and now the bruising trio Hovel likewise can’t be bothered. Don’t get me wrong, I know first-hand what a pain in the ass singers can be, but there’s got to be at least one in West Virginia that the rest of a band would be willing to put up with. West by God has one. Maybe they’ll share.

It’s easy to get into the grooves Hovel proffers, what with the familiarly American doom riffs and quality bass fills of a song like “Taking off the Guv’nor,” or the decidedly Iommi-esque bent of “26 Inch Sonic Witch” — both audible at the band’s MySpace. The second of those tracks comes off Hovel‘s Fuzzbuster/26 Inch Sonic Witch 7″ (you can also hear the first on there), released by Seattle‘s Flotation Records in a limited edition of 500. Hovel also has a six-song self-titled EP they’re selling on the MySpace that one presumes the cuts “GammaMinusMachineMinder” and “Taking off the Guv’nor” come from.

For being from an area rich in this kind of rock — could Morgantown be the official home of instrumental stoner riffing? — Hovel fit right in with a second generation of quality guitar-led jammers like Admiral Browning and Nitroseed in losing nothing of the doomed experience for lacking in throat. Ah hell. Whoever was singing would probably just blather on about cars and chicks anyway. Might as well let the crowd enjoy the riffs unencumbered. Take a listen to “Taking off the Guv’nor” and see if you don’t agree:

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Though it follows an intro with the closest thing to the guitar sound on Clutch’s now-classic Elephant Riders I’ve ever heard without actually listening to that album, that turns out to be just one of the many sonic avenues explored on the Spanish trio Cuzo’s second album for Alone Records, Otros Mundos. Taking ‘70s prog jam excursions and roughing them up tonally to achieve a kind of garage jazz, the three-piece has undergone several changes in the time since their debut, Amor y Muerte en la Tercera Fase, most notably exchanging bassist Iván Román for Alvaro Gallego, bringing the number of shared members between Cuzo and doomers Warchetype down a third to just drummer Pep Cervantes. Cervantes and guitarist Jaume Pantaleon explored a variety of instrumental personalities on the first album, and joined here by Gallego, is as though they’re even freer to pursue whatever the moment offers.

On the already-alluded “Astroratas,” that means Clutch groove. On every other track, it means something completely different. “Coche Imaginario” has a strict jam build, but even that’s offset by synth quirk so that in listening you never quite know which way the song will turn. “Del Más Allá” is driven more laterally by Pantaleon’s guitar, but as Cuzo begins to develop an underlying persona beneath these explorations, it’s by no means just about one player. Gallego and Cervantes both play an essential role in making Otros Mundos sound as vitalized and fresh as it does. “Ni Vivos Ni Muertos” feels like a companion piece for “Del Más Allá” because of their relative closeness time-wise, but the two actually don’t share any more in common than either track does with the rest of Otros Mundos.

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The PR wire has it that West Virginian instrumental assassins Karma to Burn are in the studio prepping their comeback album for Napalm Records, and that they’ll also have a DVD out this December, and that they’ll be touring Europe for a month in 10 days’ time. Busy busy busy. Check it out:

Karma to Burn are currently recording their new album w/ Mathias Schneeberger (Gutter Twins) in Pasadena, California and features special guest Matt Maiellaro of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (director, writer, creator, bus driver, also producing the band’s new video for “43″). KTB has also re-recorded their hit songs “Twenty” and “Thirty” to appear on their upcoming DVD out December 15th courtesy of Napalm. The re-recorded track “Twenty” will also appear on a split 7-inch w/ ASG to be released on Volcom.

Karma to Burn Live!

USA
Nov 6 2009 Spaceland Los Angeles, California w/ 16 and Totimoshi

Europe
Nov 12 2009 MUZ Club N?rnberg
Nov 13 2009 HDO Brandenburg Brandenburg
Nov 14 2009 Titty Twister Dresden
Nov 15 2009 Modra Vopice Prague
Nov 16 2009 Arena Vienna
Nov 17 2009 KSET Zagreb
Nov 18 2009 Channel Zero Ljubljana
Nov 19 2009 Circolo A.R.C.I Fidenza
Nov 20 2009 Bloom Mezzago
Nov 21 2009 United Club Torino
Nov 22 2009 Bronson Ravenna
Nov 23 2009 Sinister Noise Roma
Nov 24 2009 Sabotage Bar Vicenza
Nov 25 2009 Le Romandie Lausanne
Nov 26 2009 Sonnenkeller Balingen
Nov 27 2009 Musiktheater Piano Dortmund
Nov 28 2009 SPEEDFEST Eindhoven w/ Peter Pan Speedrock, GBH, Death Angel, US Bombs
Nov 29 2009 Le Grillen Colmar
Nov 30 2009 GRRRNDZERO Lyon
Dec 1 2009 Le Mojomatic Montpellier
Dec 2 2009 La MDE Poitiers
Dec 3 2009 Hotel de la musique Roubaix

UK w/ Monster Magnet
Dec 5 2009 Rock City Nottingham
Dec 6 2009 KOKO London
Dec 7 2009 Garage Glasgow
Dec 8 2009 Cabaret Voltaire Edinburgh, Scotland * no Monster Magnet
Dec 9 2009 Academy 2 Manchester
Dec 10 2009 Assembly Leamington Spa
Dec 11 2009 Wulfrun Wolverhampton
Dec 12 2009 Met University Leeds

Caught in just the right sunlight, the musical sprawl of influential Chicago instrumentalists Pelican is downright beautiful. Fortunately, it seems to be the exact appropriate time of day on their fourth full-length (first for Southern Lord), What We all Come to Need.

Taking cues from their earlier days with Australasia, much of urbane crunch that seemed to typify 2007?s City of Echoes is replaced here by open soundscaping and lush dynamics. That?s not to say Pelican are repeating themselves by any stretch. The growth of the band is evident in the careful structuring of opener ?Glimmer,? and What We all Come to Need only gets more complex from there. But to do a time comparison, both albums have eight tracks, City of Echoes was 42 minutes, What We all Come to Need is 51. There?s clearly been a shift in focus.

A Greg Anderson guitar contribution to second track ?The Creeper? is immediately identifiable, and Anderson is but one of several guests throughout the LP. Isis? Aaron Turner shows up in a similar capacity on the title track, Harkonen?s Ben Verellen donated bass to the opener, and The Life and Times? Allen Epley contributes vocals (!) to closer ?Final Breath.?

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They’ve got one. It’s up on their MySpace, and it comes off their new record and Southern Lord debut, What We all Come to Need, due out Oct. 27. Song is called “Strung up from the Sky.” Go forth and dig it. When you’re done with that, you might want to check their merch page and grab a copy of the limited edition Ephemera CD. Just putting it out there.

Though anytime I’m standing on the island of Manhattan, my mind automatically maps out the best possible route to Generation Records, the conditions that had me there yesterday — those being a day in the city with The Patient Mrs., as though an afternoon with my grumpy, lumbering ass is some kind of reward or break for her — prohibited it. A compromise in my head was a quick stop at Academy on 18th St., which I have it on good (and confidential) authority is where Spin sells their unwanted promos. I was hoping to catch an advance copy of that Six Organs of Admittance record I found out about the other night, and thankfully, she acquiesced.

No such luck on the Six Organs, but the thing about Academy is there’s always something in there, and apart from rarities, it’s all priced used. They’ve reorganized somewhat, splitting their CDs by genre in addition to alphabet, which is probably a good move in the long run if more of a pain in the ass to maintain. Flipping through the wares, I picked up the Neurot reissue of Tribes of Neurot‘s Adaptation and Survival insect experiment, the fancypants edition of the last Opeth record, which, boring though it was once past its novelty, is still Opeth, Prometheus by Emperor, and an accidental second copy of Dopesmoker. It’s the Music Cartel issue of Jerusalem I wanted. This was the Tee Pee digipak, which I already own. Easy mistake. Honestly I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before and wouldn’t be surprised if it happened again. Damn Sleep for being so desirable.

More of a surprise, however, was a brand new, still wrapped copy of Shaving the Angel by Midnite Snake on Birdman Records, which I’ve been eying over that the All That is Heavy webstore for some time now — and not just for the mammary-inclusive cover art, provocative though it is. The Pittsburgh instrumental trio play a San Franciscan freak rock that’s downright abrasive at times and alternates between tripping balls psychedelia and speed-fueled riffing. Oh yeah, then they have “Supermodifed,” which is a 25-minute cycle through what I can only assume is an avant stoner interpretation of how Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory might have turned out had Charlie gone to Slugworth‘s instead. Whether you’re putting a “d” or a “v” in between your “hea” and your “y,” you’re right.

I probably wouldn’t have bought it had I not encountered it in person, or at least not until I purchased every other wish list entry and impulse buy (which might as well be never at this rate), so for me, Midnite Snake was the find of the day. I’m pretty sure I won’t listen to it on repeat for the rest of my life, but when they finally show up to film that? remake of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in my living room, I’ve got the soundtrack cued up and ready to go, and finding it only caused the slightest blemish on the whole “time together” thing. Everyone wins.

If we happened to live in a dimension in which there was one phrase to cover the entirety of what Barcelona instrumentalists Cuzo are doing on their Alone Records debut, Amor y Muerte en la Tercera Fase, that phrase might be something like “vague rock.” The experimental trio comprised of bassist Iv?n Rom?n, drummer Pep Cervante (both of doomers Warchetype) and guitarist/noisemaker Jaime L. Pantale?n run through seven mostly-interconnected tracks of instru-prog, like what Stinking Lizaveta might try if they decided they weren’t a jazz band or a more organic, less keyboard-driven Zombi.

The personality of the album varies almost entirely on each song, with opener “Medium” being mostly an ambient/noisy intro with a high-pitched frequency throughout most of it that cuts into the eardrum in a way that makes you think you’re in for something way less pleasant from Amor y Muerte en la Tercera Fase than you actually are. Almost immediately, “Escalera Roja” establishes Cuzo as a semi-technical band capable of switching and bending moods to their will, but still focused more on expression than structure. Riffs repeat and come and go but Cuzo don’t sound rigid in their execution at all, which is a big part of why the album has such a consistent flow despite the array of approaches within.

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They might look like they could use a sandwich or two, but Brooklyn trio Stats (formerly known as Stay Fucked) specialize in a dense, sludgy brand of technical instrumetal, like a less outwardly intense early Dillinger Escape Plan or what forgotten Minnesota tribe Figure of Merit pulled off so capably on their equally forgotten Vatic record, and so their indie garb is a kind of disguise from which the sonic nastiness emerges. Very sneaky, you thick-framed strategists.

Be that as it may or may not — and even if it isn’t, I like the narrative so I’m keeping it — the three-song CD the band sent in for review came with little fanfare, no art, no track listing and no real explanation; just a black CDR, a short bio and an email address. Under normal circumstances (i.e., if they sucked), I probably would have put it in the pile to be eventually filed away, never to be heard again, but my curiosity was roused by the crashing noisy rhythms of the first track and I’ve gone back for multiple repeat listens since, each time hearing something new from Stats that I’d missed previously.

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El P?ramo hablan del desierto. Actually, they don’t “hablan” (or whatever the correct verb form is; apologies for my ignorance of the beautiful Spanish language) at all, they’re instrumental. But musically, their free-flowing jams and Colour Hazey tones point the way to wind-carved dunes that stretch for miles. The Madrid four-piece, whose name translates to The Wasteland, offer a simple take on desert rock but don’t go as far as ripping anyone off. Their influences are easily discernable — Colour Haze and Kyuss being principle — but the seven tracks on their Alone Records self-titled debut boast a warmth and character that’s all their own.

Santi, Santi, Jorge and David (drums, bass, guitar and guitar, respectively) offer their ’70s psych wares in a variety of packages, be it the expanse of opener “Varicela,” which at 11:53 does more than merely set the tone for the rest of El P?ramo or the heavier, riffier, “Sirope de Arena,” which follows “La Benedici?n de Eolo,” a track that eases the transition by combining jamming with more straight ahead guitar work.

As ever with roots stoner rock, and even more so with the European variety than with their US counterparts who will try anything to avoid the label, El P?ramo don’t necessarily branch out much from the well established parameters of the style sound-wise — that is, they’re not bringing in unexpected instrumentation or off-the-wall timing — but as the Los Natas-esque lines that run through the early part of “Infecci?n de Escorpi?n” sweetly ring out, the lack of pretentiousness alone is enough to carry the song. It’s a rare genre that’s so approachable? that bands can get together and release albums purely because they love the music. The vibe I get from El P?ramo is that they are as much saluting the masters of the style as they are emulating them.

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As someone who followed Long Island booze hounds Dirty Rig from their Blood, Sweat and Beer inception to their unfortunate fizzling out, I was glad to see bassist Steve “Buckshot” Seabury emerge with a new band in record time. The yet-instrumental trio Moth Eater — in which Buckshot is joined by former Scar Culture guitarist John Conley and ex-‘Rig bandmate Dave Ardolina on drums — boasts a darker sound than the lighthearted, Kory Clarke (Warrior Soul, Trouble) fronted outfit Dirty Rig became by their end, with sludge-covered Southern riffs basking in the traditions of New Orleans and the Southeastern set that gave birth to acts like Alabama Thunderpussy, Weedeater and Beaten Back to Pure. The music is still drunk, but it’s a more aggressive kind of drunk.

With three demos posted on their MySpace page and a rehearsal video to their credit, Moth Eater are clearly just getting going, but The Obelisk is proud to be the first to discuss the trio with Buckshot and introduce them to the scene at large. After the jump, the bassist discusses Moth Eater‘s formation, putting together his own label — Giddy Up! Records — where to find half-price Blue Moon for a pre-practice ritual and when we can expect a debut release. Crack open a beer and enjoy.

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I’ve only been to West Virginia once in my life; I was about 12 years old. Even at that tender, pubescent age, when hormones had me thinking of little other than boobies (so much has changed), I was able to look around and notice that it was the whitest place I’d ever seen. White people, everywhere. 95.99 percent Caucasian, according to the 2005 census as quoted on Wikipedia. It was one pale-ass state.

But these aren’t the rich white motherfuckers who made a rectal dartboard of our economy and stole our retirements out from under us to give themselves multi-million dollar bonuses. These are coal miners, who’ve been screwed over by the same powers that be since the days of the robber barons. They’ve hollowed out their beautiful stretch of Appalachia and have what exactly to show for it? Bosses with cash enough to get the best PR out of each and every mine collapse.

The inherent conflict of their home state and working man’s frustration is evident in the instrumental post-doom offerings of Huntington, West Virginia trio Hyatari (all white). Originally brought to prominence with the helping hand of a 2005 reissue of their self-released 2004 album, The Light Carriers by Earache Records subsidiary Code:Breaker, the band soon found themselves in similar straits as labelmates Figure of Merit, Abandon and Zatokrev. When the label project went under, so did they. Hyatari were off the map.

With the late 2008 release of They Will Surface — sounds as much like a warning as an assurance, doesn’t it? — Hyatari reemerged through Caustic Eye Productions with six extended suns that never set; each track droning its way into and out of and back into oblivion like sheets of universe crashing into each other. It is hypnotic and disturbing.

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As I here and look at the window on the snowy valley and make ready to type this review, I’ve popped in my old promo of Witch‘s self-titled debut (filed right between Wintersun and Witchcraft) from 2006, in an effort to remind myself just why I expected such awesomeness at the show they, Earthless and Philadelphia local riffers Snake Sustaine put on at Asbury Lanes on Friday. Admittedly, it had been nearly three years since I’d seen them, but I didn’t expect the ravages of time to have played out quite so cruelly on their sound.

I’m getting ahead of myself.

Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, despite its unfortunate locale, is probably the best venue in New Jersey to see a show. Where Starland Ballroom is too big and absolutely unbearable when overcrowded and Maxwell’s has the even worse luck to be stranded in the douchebag metropolis that is Hoboken, the Lanes is just right. Unfortunately it’s also a 90 minute drive from the valley. Some you win, some you lose.

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Fact is, when Metal Mind reissues something, they do it up right — albums remastered on golden discs, digipaks, liner notes, limited runs, bonus tracks out the ass, sometimes redone art and sometimes not, and when they acquire a property, they consider the best way of getting it out there to the people. They’re not all great, because in the Polish imprint’s quest to mine the back catalogs of the likes of Nuclear Blast and Roadrunner there are duds a-plenty, but in the case of Mountain Mama’s, the triple CD box set combining West Virginian recently-reunited, mostly-instrumental riff-mongers Karma to Burn‘s three full-lengths — Karma to Burn (1997), Wild Wonderful Purgatory (1999) and Almost Heathen (2002) — they nailed it.

I’d liken it to the box treatment Warner International gave to Kyuss‘ Blues for the Red Sun, Welcome to Sky Valley and …And the Circus Leaves Town in 2000, but where that was essentially the three albums wrapped in cardboard, Metal Mind gives us these remastered three Karma to Burn discs in a custom digipak with striking artwork by Elizabeth Duebell biting the head off the Wild Wonderful Purgatory cover; redder and without the lady patriot. Hard to lose when you’ve got a Satanic goat dressed in Native American garb riding a horse carring the West Virginia state flag.

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Speaking of Blabbermouth, check this out:

Acclaimed West Virginia instrumental heavy rockers Karma to Burn have put their differences aside and reformed for a limited series of dates. Karma to Burn split in 2002 after bassist Rich Mullins left to join Texas aggro-rockers Speedealer.

Shows kick off April 16 at the Sound Factory in Charleston, WV with Karma to Burn as main support for Unknown Hinson. Headlining shows will follow in Huntington, WV with local doomsters Hyatari and Columbus with Sin Nombre. More gigs will be announced soon, including possible European dates.

Karma to Burn consists of guitarist Will Mecum (Treasure Cat), bassist Rich “Dickie” Mullins (Year Long Disaster) and drummer Rob Oswald (Nebula).

Boy, it’s a good thing they decided to get this band going again. Year Long Disaster was kind of rough to take.

Karma to Burn on MySpace