I’m a sucker for consistency, so I’m going to keep this to the same kind of format as last year’s 2011 preview — real low key, real stuff I’m actually looking forward to being released. It’s not about what band is the biggest, or who has the most hype, but about who’s kicking what ass and how much it’s happening. Pretty simple parameters we’re working with here.

If you don’t recall last year and didn’t already click that link in the paragraph above out of curiosity, here’s how it works: I take five records I”ve heard and five I haven’t, and over the course of two days, we get a list of 10 albums reportedly to come in 2012 (these things don’t always work out, as we’ll get into more tomorrow with Colour Haze) that hopefully most people can agree with or at least be only mildly outraged at.

Today, it’s the sure bets. These are records that’ll see release early this year that I’ve already heard and can vouch for. I haven’t reviewed all of them yet, but I will, so consider this a precursor to that if you want. They’re not in any order but that in which they occurred to me to write down. In any case, here goes:

Snail, Terminus: Their 2009 reunion album, Blood, has stood the test of the going-on-three years since its release on MeteorCity, and the four-piece are set to follow it up this year with Terminus, an album that hopefully doesn’t live up to its name in being their last. The songwriting, which made for ultra-memorable tracks on Blood, is just as epic here, and each cut seems to have a personality of its own while still flowing together as a whole. What you really need to know about it — it’s heavy as hell. I wouldn’t be surprised to see myself typing about it again come list time this December.

Orange Goblin, A Eulogy for the Damned: Another foreboding album title, this seventh full-length from the London doomers (review here) finds them embracing the anthemic on “The Filthy and the Few” and going full-on spooky for “The Fog.” It’s a mature album, and maybe a little too clean in terms of production, but these guys never fail to deliver, and A Eulogy for the Damned can only add to the increase in profile the last couple years has seen for Orange Goblin. When it comes down to it, they’re one of the best live acts in doom, so they can’t lose in bringing this material to the stage.

Dwellers, Good Morning Harakiri: Iota, the prior outfit of Dwellers guitarist/vocalist Joey Toscano, found a small but loyal cult when they released Tales on Small Stone in 2008. I’d expect no different for Dwellers, which teams Toscano with the rhythm section of SubRosa‘s last album, bassist Dave Jones and drummer Zach Hatsis. The album balances bluesy riffs and spacey ambience with terrifying ease, saving expansive jamming for its two side-closers while bolstering a classic songwriting feel elsewhere. A great mix and a welcome return from Toscano. Full review here.

Corrosion of Conformity, Corrosion of Conformity: I’ve got this slated to be reviewed tomorrow, and next week I’ll have my Q&A with bassist/vocalist Mike Dean posted, so between that, the live review Monday, and the announcement of their headlining tour, it’s an awful lot of C.O.C. around here lately. Can’t say they didn’t earn it. Their upcoming self-titled seems to distill about 30 years of growth into 11 high-quality tracks that not only recall the trio’s Animosity-era glory days, but push them further into places they’ve never gone before. It’s a fascinating and surprising album on a lot of levels, and I think once people have a chance to hear it, they’re going to really embrace what the band is doing.

Black Pyramid, II: A song from this went up just yesterday, so I admit, it’s on my mind lately, but the second LP from Massachusetts trio Black Pyramid is one of early 2012′s highlights for sure. If you don’t believe me, you can get it yourself ahead of its release date from MeteorCity at All That is Heavy, and when you do, I think you’ll find that it’s the melodies making the songs as epic as the riffs and the tales of battles and conquests. As the final statement from this incarnation of the band, it’s also the strongest work they’ve done yet.

There’s more, obviously. No matter how much you do, there’s always more. Records from The Devil’s Blood (which had its Euro release last year but will be out in North America this month), Infernal Overdrive (review here) and Sun Gods in Exile come to mind as being particularly killer, and in the “heard some already” category, the field expands to include the likes of Blood of the Sun, Pagan Altar, Stubb, Crippled Black Phoenix and others as well, so it already looks like it’s going to be a busy year.

The real challenge though is going to be narrowing tomorrow’s speculation picks down to just five. Not sure I’m going to be able to do it, but I’ll try my best.

Stick around — more tomorrow!

It’s not long, but heavy riffing four-piece Snail does a lot of work in the 2:42 that comprises “Galaxies’ Lament.” The track is the first audio the band has released from their new album, Terminus, which follows two years after the excellent Blood, released by MeteorCity. Terminus is pretty high on my list of most-anticipated 2012 releases (still under construction), and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.

But Snail have an innate and well-honed ability to write memorable songs, and that comes through on “Galaxies’ Lament.” Make it through the song a couple times and you’ll find yourself returning to it more and more. In that way, it’s a perfect lead-in for Terminus, since that’s pretty much the case the band across the board. Of course I’ll have more on the record as the release plans firm up. As of now, the latest is: 2012.

Until next year rolls around, then, enjoy “Galaxies’ Lament,” and thanks to Snail for continuing to kick ass:

Founded in the sun-bleached desert lands of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1998 by Jadd Shickler (also of the band Spiritu) and Aaron Emmel, the imprint MeteorCity had its humble beginnings supporting a genre of underground rock that, to date, finds kinship among relatively few listeners. The two were new to underground rock. I recall interviewing Shickler years back and he told me that people would ask him if his online store, All That’s Heavy, would be stocking the new Orange Goblin album, and he said, “Yeah, of course!” and promptly set about to discover who the band was. 1998 was, if nothing else, a long time ago.

Along the way, though, MeteorCity became inextricably linked with All That’s Heavy and eventually with the much-missed StonerRock.com, becoming one of the most important heavy rock imprints of the post-Man’s Ruin era. Starting with the first Welcome to MeteorCity compilation in 1998, Shickler and Emmel helped establish what stoner rock became in the wake of Kyuss‘ demise, and albums released from Nebula, Solace, The Atomic Bitchwax, Blind Dog and Eternal Elysium provided a model for bands and other labels alike.

In 2007, Shickler and Emmel said goodbye to the label they started and the scene they helped found, selling the site to Dan and Melanie Beland, who had previously taken over All That is Heavy (now with the full “is”) in addition to hosting StonerRock.com. Their farewell came in the form of another comp, this time the three-disc …And Back to Earth Again — for which I was fortunate enough to have contributed to the liner notes, and which was less an inflation of an ego and a “look what we did, how important we are” than a “I can’t believe how lucky we were to put out so much good music.”

Shickler and Emmel, who were admittedly burned out on the genre, went on to other work, and Dan and Melanie embarked on a string of incredibly strong releases, effectively revitalizing MeteorCity and declaring in no uncertain terms that a new generation of the heavy underground was rising to the fore. Full-lengths by Black Pyramid, Elder, Snail and Freedom Hawk (among others) demonstrated that not only was there life in the style, but that the label had its ear to the ground when it came to finding bands and choosing which acts to highlight.

Adopting the ethic of taking on acts with strong self-releases and bringing them under the MeteorCity fold, the imprint released CDs from SardoniS, Egypt, Valkyrie and Dead Man (again, among others), and though StonerRock.com met its demise at the end of last year, the enterprises of MeteorCity and All That is Heavy have continued on into 2011, with the label re-releasing the self-titled debut from Boston duo Olde Growth, the second album from New Keepers of the Water Towers, and most recently, a compilation of vinyl-only and previously-unreleased tracks from Black Pyramid called Stormbringer, with more expected before 2011 is through.

The inevitable question, then, is where to start. If you’re new to the label or maybe have a couple of the discs you picked up along the line, which in their catalog are the most essential releases? Well, here are my picks…

Read more »

Snail‘s 2009 reunion album, Blood, was among the best of that year’s surprises, and out of all the killer albums released that year, it’s one of the few that still keeps me coming back for more listens. In fact, today being sunny, warm and generally gorgeous, I think I’ll put it on now.

Good news came on the band update forum that the four-piece are set to hit the studio this week and record the follow-up to Blood, tentatively-titled Terminus. More to come on this one, but since the announcement made my Friday night (as you can see in the link), I thought it was worth sharing here in case anyone hadn’t seen it yet. Dig:

Snail will begin recording drum tracks at Mysterious Mammal Recording, Los Angeles for our third full-length beginning April 13. We will be recording all month and expect a release sometime mid-summer. The working title for the record is Terminus. The tone of this one is a bit more old-school metal, but the fuzz will be in full effect as well.

Here is the current track list:

Recursion
Galaxies Lament
Matchbook
Fast Woman
Hippy Crack
Try To Make It
Perilous Dandelion
Love Theme from Snail
Terminus
Ritual
Heavy Trait
Burn the Flesh

We’ll keep everyone posted via Facebook and this site. We’re very excited to get these new tunes out there. Thanks for all the support you’ve given us!

Mark, Matt, Eric, Marty

I thought we’d end this week with something from MeteorCity in honor of the fallen StonerRock.com. I chose “Underwater” by Snail, because it rules and because it’s a little sad.

I put some feelers out about it and I’ve got a buddy coming over tomorrow to see if we can feasibly add community forums to The Obelisk and make it viable and reasonable to maintain. I’m not saying it’s going to launch tomorrow with a General Discussion board just like StonerRock.com used to have — because let’s not forget SR took 10 years to get where it was — but let’s start with that and see where it takes us. That’s kind of been my policy all along with this site. Please check in, because I’ll have updates over the weekend.

New podcast coming this weekend as well. That’s Sunday, I hope. So if you don’t normally check The Obelisk because there aren’t posts Saturdays and Sundays, this weekend is an exception. Plenty to do, lot of strands in the ol’ duder’s head.

In addition, I’ll be at Crowbar tomorrow night in Trenton and Black Thai on Sunday in Brooklyn. Tonight I’ll be doing homework for class Monday. Maybe having a drink or two to toast Dan and Melanie from StonerRock as well.

More soon.

…I was going to call it the “Gleaming the Tubes” Edition, but figured no one would get the reference and it would sound more like I was the hippest plumber ever than just buying albums online. Don’t want to overdo it, you know.

I recently got a check for $90 for a column I write in New Jersey‘s longest-running alt weekly, The Aquarian. I get one every month for roughly the same amount, and true to form, I lost this one almost immediately. I’ve begged for a direct deposit and been roundly (and squarely) rejected. This — namely the fact that I didn’t actually have the money anymore — wasn’t going to stop me from spending it. I hit up Amazon and here’s a quick rundown of the subsequent wish list haul, the last of which just arrived in the mail today:

The Obsessed, The Church Within: I have no excuse for not already owning this album and I feel no small amount of shame for having only purchased it now. It was an oversight on my part and it’s been corrected. I’d prefer to just move on.

Church of Misery, The Second Coming: This one I have an excuse for not already owning. Two actually. First, it’s hard as fuck to find. Second, when you do find it, it’s similarly (and apparently copulatingly) expensive. Worth every penny for the frenetic, blasted-out doom that ensues though.

Dutch Oven, Electric Last Minute: I’m not even sure why I originally wanted this, but it was on my wish list for years and at this point it was a battle of will to see how long I could wait out buying it. It’s meh, but I know a long time ago when I put it on the list I must have wanted it very badly, so future me (which is now me) was basically just trusting past me’s instincts on this one. Turns out that guy’s kind of a jerk.

Trouble, Run to the Light: It’s the 1994 reissue of the 1987 album, but it’s also the last Trouble full-length I didn’t own, and I’m pretty sure I get a cookie for completing the catalog, so if you weigh it in terms of cookie/dollar value, Run to the Light just paid for itself. Suck a fat one, economy!

Pappo’s Blues, Volume 1: Early ’70s Argentinian psychedelic bluesy biker rock? Are you fucking kidding me? More please.

Color Humano, Color Humano: More Argentinian ’70s goodness. My only complaint with this is that it came in a sleeve, which is bullshit. I guess “limited edition import” means, “I’m a dick and I’m going to mail you my promo of this Sony reissue ha ha ha fuck you fuck you.” Always something lost in translation.

Beaver, Lodge: Because apparently every single time I order CDs from anywhere, ever, it has to include at least one item released on Man’s Ruin. This is cool though because it’s the promo, and because it’s not in a sleeve, I’m okay with that.

Snail, Snail: I know they just reissued it and it’s available for download through the band’s website, but I wanted the original deal and it was like four bucks, so I grabbed it and I’m not looking back. If you’ve never heard it and you’re not a complete asshole like me, buy it from the band and give them some small measure of support, since they’re good people.

It was my absolute last night in town, and there’s no place I’d have rather been than Kimo’s Lounge to see Snail. The coincidence of being there while their tour, bound next for San Diego, then Los Angeles, stopped in was too much. I’ve been going back more and more lately to their album, Blood, for repeat listens, and it’s beginning to seem that, as good as I thought the record was when I first heard it last year, that was really just scratching the surface of character in these songs. So what do you do? You go to the show.

My flight was at seven the next morning, and that was definitely in the back of my mind the whole time at Kimo’s, but it’s astounding to me how universal a doom/stoner scene can be. Sure, the venue was above the regular bar area instead of in the basement, but man, the red walls, red floor, black ceiling, layout and overall vibe reminded me so much of The Delancey in NYC it was uncanny. Same type of crowd too, basically. Unreal.

The difference is, of course, New York rarely has shows like this anymore, even on a Tuesday. It was the kind that, four years ago, I would have gone to with a couple buddies, gotten loaded and probably still talk about today. As it was, I stayed mostly sober, owing to the impending travel, and won’t really be able to talk to anyone about the show (present company excluded), since although The Patient Mrs. was there for the opening act, she didn’t stick around long enough to catch the highlight of the evening.

So it goes. Said opening act was Razorhoof, an everyman doom trio from Monterey who, like me, had to be up early the next day. Their stuff wasn’t groundbreaking by any stretch, but it was earnest, and loud, and those two make up for a lot of the other. Both bassist Nic and guitarist Rick handled vocals, which gave the set a little variety, and when it was done, I bought a CD (in a nifty handmade package) from drummer James, who seemed appreciative. Review to come, I’m sure.

I think Snail surprised a lot of people with Blood last year. I’m not going to claim I was into the band when they were originally together in the early ’90s, but I have at this point heard the material from back then, and even in the context of that, the record was an unexpected sonic turn. Likewise, their show had a surprising amount of power behind it. Guitarist/vocalist Mark Johnson‘s Laney sounded huge in the room, and even better than guitarist Eric Clausen‘s Peavey was at cutting through that thickness of tone for leads was his voice at harmonizing with Johnson throughout songs like “Underwater,” “Mental Models,” “Blood,” and older cuts like “Deep Sea Fishing” and “Confessions.”

Talking tech has never been my forte and I’m not about to start now, but a special point of interest was bassist Matt Lynch‘s Fender 400 PS amp, which gave off some of the warmest low end I’ve ever heard without sacrificing any real punch. Through the heavier/faster moments of “Committed” and “Sleep,” it was a joy to hear Lynch and drummer Marty Dodson be so much in the pocket. It was also a joy to hear these songs I’ve grown to dig so much in a live setting, which I genuinely didn’t think I’d ever do, and to sing along to them in person the way I’ve been doing in my car — loudly and out of key. Good times for sure.

Flood, also on MeteorCity, headlined, but with The Patient Mrs. waiting in the rental car, I couldn’t really stay. I caught about a song and a half, and their modern, Sunn-amped doom seemed right in line with the newer school — and I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing — but it was clear I wasn’t about to dig it more than Snail, and it was even clearer that if I didn’t get some sleep before my flight, I wasn’t going to make it back to Jersey, so I split. I don’t get out to the West Coast often (last time was ’08 and this trip really was a crime of opportunity), but maybe next time. You never really know how these things will come together until you’re there.

Until, a decade and a half after the fact, Snail released their second full-length album, Blood, on MeteorCity last year, the Seattle outfit was more or less a footnote in the history of American stoner rock. Their lone self-titled full-length was released in 1993 on Big Deal Records amidst a growing Seattle-based climate of grunge, and the All Channels are Open EP that followed the next year would prove to be the last Snail would have to say in that century.

Now remastered by bassist Matt Lynch in his own Mysterious Mammal Recording studios, Snail has been made available by the band as a pay download through their website. Its 11 tracks of high dose drug rock sound crisp, and of course loud, but more interesting to the ear than the once-over they’ve been given are the songs themselves, which fit intriguingly with their era — that is, they’ve got a little flannel in them — but even then Snail were clearly coming from someplace else sonically. The then-trio of Lynch, guitarist/vocalist Mark Johnson and drummer Marty Dodson had more in common with what Monster Magnet was doing at the time than Nirvana or Alice in Chains, though elements of those bands’ formative days can also be heard in cuts like “O.D.,” “Sprain,” or “Intuition.”

Read more »

Well, alright. They’re not so much “Heading West,” since they’re from Seattle, but it is the band’s first tour ever and they did just put out an awesome album after being broken up for 14 years (that’s some “hiatus”), so it’s a bit of an occasion anyway. The PR wire passes along this update:

Snail has announced that they will embark on their first tour ever starting April 3rd in Seattle. These will most likely be the only shows in the US before the band goes back into the studio to record the follow-up to the well-received 2009 release Blood on MeteorCity. The band defied odds when it received accolades from fans and critics alike and was included on many Top 10 of 2009 lists following a 14-year hiatus. Fans should take heed and experience the full brunt of their power while they can.

Tour Schedule:
Apr 3 The Comet Tavern, Seattle, Washington w/ Sod Hauler and Witchburn
Apr 4 The Ash Street Saloon, Portland, Oregon w/ Devil Riding Shotgun
Apr 5 Jambalaya, Arcata, California w/ Lesbian
Apr 6 Kimo’s, San Francisco, California
Apr 8 The Ruby Room, San Diego, California w/ Archons, Across Tundras, Ride the Sun
Apr 10 Nomad Art Compound, Los Angeles, California w/ Green and Wood, Toward Distant Suns

After making such a splash with their 13-years-in-the-making MeteorCity debut, Blood earlier this year, Seattle psych stoners Snail have announced a digital reissue of their 1993 self-titled, available via their website. Dig the PR wire info:

The eponymous first album, originally released on Big Deal Records, recorded at Razor?s Edge Studio in San Francisco, CA (birthplace of Sleep?s Holy Mountain) and produced by Jonathan Burnside (Melvins, Nirvana, Steelpole Bathtub), was well received by critics and garnered much praise in the press, as well as gaining a loyal following from peers like long time supporters Fu Manchu and Nebula.

Remastered by Matt Lynch at his Mysterious Mammal studio, the band strove to ?preserve as much dynamic energy as possible? while adding additional ?power, volume, and detail to the tracks.? The result is a dynamic work that still breathes, with punch and clarity that doesn?t get smashed to mush as so often happens with ?loud? remastering jobs. ?This record was meant to be played loud, and we want it to sound bigger and better when cranked, not make your ears bleed like so many ?modern? mastering jobs do these days.? The download is encoded at the highest possible quality for easy download: 320 kbps bitrate mp3.

In addition to the remastered audio, a deluxe artwork package is included for printing which when printed and cut fits handily into a CD jewel case, even including a CD label laid out for the standard Avery template.

Snail track listing:
1. Deep See Fishin’
2. Confessions
3. Sprain
4. O.D.
5. Chewing Aspirin
6. Hard Lung
7. Full-Acid
8. Intuition
9. Lycanthrope
10. Your Song
11. R=Theta

Blood, the first album in 16 years by Seattle psych-stoners Snail (say that five times fast) is among 2009′s most pleasant surprises. Brought to light via the increasingly prolific MeteorCity, the album is comprised of 11 tracks the band had originally demoed before breaking up after releasing the All Channels are Open EP in 1994. It was to be their second full-length after their 1993 self-titled debut, and with the musical climate in Seattle at that time, the safer bet was it was going to get them noticed.

In the email interview below, Snail guitarist/vocalist Mark Johnson cites the usual suspects as reasons for the band falling apart, but what’s even more important is the vibrant tones the trio-turned-four-piece calls forth from the ether on Blood. Johnson, original drummer Marty Dodson and bassist Matt Lynch are joined by new guitarist Eric Clausen, whose presence not only adds texture to the songs, but fitting and killer solos as well. All around, it’s a win.

Also worth noting that of all the emailers I’ve done (and I’ve done a bunch at this point), this one required the least editing or formatting, so a special thanks to Johnson for that and for his time in general. Interview is after the jump. Please enjoy.

Read more »

The legend goes that back in the early ?90s, when the Seattle scene was bursting with flannel-clad grunge rockers and the lines between metal, punk and commercially viable radio rock were being blurred in the name of heroin-caked couture, the stoner trio Snail released their self-titled full-length. A year later, they?d follow it with the All Channels are Open EP, and then break up before their second album was recorded.

Imagine having a record nag on you for 16 years. Maybe you don?t think about it every day, but whenever you think about your time in a band, you say to yourself, ?Wow, if only we?d done this one thing.? Snail?s MeteorCity debut, Blood, is supposedly the second album that went unreleased back when and the impetus for their current reunion. A gathering of 11 tracks of heavy fuzz, psych undertones, grooves spreading over sunny fields and vocals that seem to retain a softness even when shouted — whatever the situation was that brought it about, I?ll take it.

Read more »