Something about Severin Allgood’s delivery of the chorus lines in “Wine Witch” – the cadence of, “She’s the wine witch/Purple teeth/Six-six-six” – reminds me of Suplecs at their most fun-loving, but I can’t quite figure what it is. Backed on vocals by his fellow guitarist Shawn Apple, Allgood fronts Memphis, Tennessee, four-piece Hosoi Bros for the course of their brief Wine Witch debut 7”, ripping quickly through the aforementioned title-track and “Yellow Fever,” which follows an even speedier course. The band formed in 2010 has shared the stage with the likes of The Sword, Skeletonwitch, Red Fang and Totimoshi, and though they come off young as a unit, Allgood, Apple, bassist Drewbie Crenshaw and drummer JimmyJames Blasingame seem to have all been kicking around Memphis as members of various projects and bands. Hosoi Bros – one must resist the temptation to put a “The” before the band’s name – are cohesive across their first two tracks, however, and have a clear idea of where the core of their sound lies, and that’s mostly in their riffy punk influence. Wine Witch is pressed to a limited-to-300 edition of glow-in-the-dark vinyl, and shows immediately that the band – whose logo is remarkably similar in shape to that of Danish thrashers HateSphere – threatens nothing when it comes to taking themselves too seriously. Their Red Fang-esque video for “Wine Witch,” included below, confirms this as well.

What Hosoi Bros most have going for them is the energy in the material. Both “Wine Witch” and “Yellow Fever” teem with an unforced quickness of pace that only further highlights the excitement conveyed. The stuff is fairly basic stylistically, but that’s the point of it. Even with the two guitars, Hosoi Bros aren’t looking to make Wine Witch a prog record; they keep the formula simple and get right to the point. Bolstered by the humor in the lyrics – lines like “Merlot: Steals your soul” from “Wine Witch” – the songs are all the more memorable as a debut showing from the band. I don’t know if they’d be able to keep it up for a full-length without presenting some shift in sound, but a first 7” is certainly no time to worry about such things, when what Hosoi Bros are clearly trying to do is punk out and have a good time. They do it. Both “Wine Witch” and “Yellow Fever” – which is, near as I can tell, a variant on that of the jungle – are a lot of fun in their immature way, and delivered with a strength of performance from the band that shows they’re not just jokes. Crenshaw’s bass has its work cut out for it in keeping up with Apple and Allgood on guitar, but he more than manages, and Blasingame adds consistent snare rolls to “Wine Witch” while laying back more to ride the groove on “Yellow Fever” to show a bit of diversity and give a sense of adaptability. “Yellow Fever” borders on offensive, but stays on the side of cheeky, which is where it belongs, and its chorus of “I’m young/I’m ready/Yellow fever’s got the best of me” is undeniably catchy, while the verse – seemingly shouted by both Allgood and Apple – is harder to discern.

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Beginning right from the low-end percussive rumble of “Ritual,” an overwhelming fullness of sound is among the greatest assets working in favor of Howl and Filth, the third long-player from Tennessee post-doomers Generation of Vipers. Like their two prior outings, 2005’s Grace and 2007’s Dead Circle, Howl and Filth comes courtesy of the band’s own Red Witch Recordings, and I’ll admit it’s my first encounter with the trio, who make a solid first impression thanks to encompassing distortion and blown-out but perfectly swallowed vocals, mixed low under the guitars and bass by Converge’s Kurt Ballou, who also engineered the recording for Howl and Filth’s six tracks. The album seems structured for a vinyl side A/side B divide, the third cut “All of this is Mine” (2:55) being essentially an interlude that positions the band atmospherically leading into the record’s second half, but it works on CD as well, the Anthony Couri (Minsk) artwork no less striking in its sparseness in its digipak incarnation. That bleak, foreboding image makes a fine complement for the otherworldly darkness Generation of Vipers emit, offering a kind of Godflesh mechanicism in the bass of Travis Kammeyer that works to contrast the occasional excursions into melody from guitarist/vocalist Joshua “Asa” Holt. And of course, the rumble mentioned previously wouldn’t be possible without the excellent tom work of B.J. Graves, formerly of A Storm of Light’s touring lineup.

There’s a lot about Howl and Filth that’s going to be familiar, at least on a superficial level, to those who’ve followed the growth, sundry divergences within and capsizing of post-metal, but it’s worth highlighting the excellent treatment Ballou gives to Holt’s harsh vocals, using the growls and shouts to their full atmospheric potential as more than a mere expression of rage or post-modern disaffection, but as an instrument capable of coinciding with and even enhancing the guitars, bass and drums (periodic synth shows up as well, as on the piano-and-whisper-driven “All of this is Mine”). Holt’s guitar sounds that much louder for its position relative to the vocals, and likewise, Graves’ drumming that much more propulsive and Kammeyer’s bass thicker. It’s an easy mistake that’s often made to push all singing to the fore of a track, but no question that “Silent Shroud,” which builds on the momentum “Ritual” establishes at the very front, is stronger in ambience for the instrumentation’s lead position. As Holt moves to further prominence toward the end of the track, the drama is made palpable by his sheer ability to cut through the controlled chaos surrounding, so that as “All of this is Mine” offers momentary respite before “Eternal” kicks off the second half of Howl and Filth, the breather is well justified.

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Where Despond — the Profound Lore debut from Nashville, Tennessee, four-piece Loss – departs from most of the funeral doom genre is in its near-absolute lack of hope. Generally, there’s something in a funeral doom record that brings some element of beauty to its otherwise emotionally destroyed approach, an acoustic part, pretty interlude, whatever. Something for the listener to hang onto and have some feeling like it isn’t just all blackness and despair. Loss, on the other hand, are pure(st) misery. Even on the two-minute piano interlude title-track which comes on Despond’s second half, the notes are low and underscored by depressive drones. Even the ending of “Silent and Completely Overcome,” which features the only non-growled vocals on the record, is depressed beyond reproach. Listening to Loss is like being opened wide and having all your self-inflicted wretchedness stare you in the face. For just under 67 minutes straight. Maybe there’s something beautiful in that, in the rawness of it, the reality, but that doesn’t at all make it a pleasant experience.

And of course, that’s the point. You’re not supposed to put on Despond when you’re looking for windows-down-driving music. It’s not the soundtrack to your next sunny barbecue. Hell, I’m pretty sure if you played “Open Veins to a Curtain Closed,” which follows a brief spoken/guitar intro – also depressing – on a sunny day, even the sun would want to kill itself. I’m exaggerating the point, but guitarist/vocalist Mike Meacham’s low-gurgling death growl sits atop riffing so melancholic and slow that if you don’t ask yourself what the point of living is at least once over the course of the album, you might be a sociopath. There are breaks periodically from the titanic undulating of the guitar, but they offer little respite in terms of mood when, in the case of “Open Veins to a Curtain Closed,” they lead to a black metal-esque faster section, playing one side of the genre off another. Loss’ darkness is complete, and though it’s titled like a punk song, “Cut Up, Depressed and Alone” takes the striking lead lines of earlier Opeth and infects them with a bleakness that almost makes you forget the song is mid-paced and not the same grueling speed as its predecessor. As Despond progresses, it’s not so much engaging as it is overwhelming. Meacham – joined by guitarist Tim Lewis, bassist John Anderson and drummer Jay LeMaire – sticks to his growling even in the quiet part of “Cut Up, Depressed and Alone,” and the effect on the listener is the same as ever. Painful.

“Deprived of the Void” is three minutes of ultra-distorted noise that serves as a lead-in for “An Ill Body Seats My Sinking Sight,” which at 7:43 follows a similar course to some of the earlier material but features more prominent drumming from LeMaire. The tonal thickness purveyed by Anderson, Lewis and Meacham should go without saying in this genre, but as Despond progresses, the encompassing tonal weight of it plays a huge part in carrying across the emotional affect. “An Ill Body Seats My Sinking Sight” doesn’t take the same kind of break as a song like “Open Veins to a Curtain Closed,” which approaches the musing air of ‘90s European death/doom while also cutting out all the dramatic elements thereof, instead slowing to a crashing pace that would do Buried at Sea proud. As “Despond” opens the second half of the record, the temptation sinks in to take Loss in pieces, to break it up into multiple sessions, but I think that’s a testament to the band having accomplished what they set out to do. Despond isn’t supposed to be easy to listen to. It’s supposed to be hard, and miserable. Life is hard and miserable. If you want escapism, go listen to whatever pretty girl the pop overlords are exploiting this week. “Shallow Pulse,” which returns Despond to its woeful course has subtle pulsations from Anderson underlying the riffing of Lewis and Meacham. They stay deep in the mix, but show something of an experimental edge to Loss they haven’t yet displayed. Easy to miss the first time around, but interesting enough to keep an ear out for.

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Prolific and with a multi-faceted sonic approach steeped in wide-open Americana and new-school intellectualist metal crunch, Nashville, Tennessee, trio Across Tundras make their Neurot Recordings debut with Sage. It’s the band’s seventh full-length since they got together in 2004, and it has a naturalist, organic edge to it, with clear separation between the guitar, bass, vocals and drums, and a cohesive full-album flow that offsets its prairie licks with heavy rhythms and Sabbathian bass runs from “Big Jim” Shively. Shively’s tone and playing are consistent highlights throughout Sage, starting with Spaghetti Western opener “In the Name of River Grand,” which lays out much of the dustbowl romanticism Across Tundras have on offer with the record. Their songwriting varies from the straightforward to the avant, and their greatest achievement with Sage might be keeping themselves from losing the wagon-wheels when it comes to structuring the tracks. “Hijo de Desierto,” just more than half the length of the opener at 4:56, is built around a strong, memorable chorus and even as it decays into a darkly psychedelic fever dream, it keeps that chorus going as a way to ground the listener in the experience, showing both maturity and structural prowess on Across Tundras’ part.

Guitarist/vocalist Tanner Olson – Shively also contributes backing vocals, as does drummer Nathan Rose – ranges from shouts to the sub-country croon of “Buried Arrows,” on which fellow Nashville resident Lilly Hiatt (of Lilly Hiatt and the Dropped Ponies) guests in classic Grand Ol’ Opry duet fashion. “Buried Arrows” is probably the best vocal performance on Sage, despite the lyrics seeming somewhat contrived with generic images of hitching down hard roads, days of the buffalo, high desert land, etc., and Olson’s guitar displays a suitable twang to match, underscored by Rose’s subtle floor tom rhythm, evoking at once a Native American tradition and the weighted low end that typifies so much modern doom. Shively’s bass is once again gorgeously crisp, but it’s on the more open centerpiece cut “The Book of Truth” that he really shines, filling the empty spaces between guitar stops and laying the foundational groove on which the track is built. He’s not overly flashy in his playing, not showing off or anything like that, but if I was sitting with a friend talking about the new Across Tundras record – and of course I’d have to specify Sage, since it probably won’t be all that long before the next one is out – the first thing I’d say is that the bass makes the album. That’s not to take away from what either Olson or Rose contribute to the band, it’s a trio, so every member is essential to the whole, just that a killer bass tone isn’t something that comes easily or often, so the Geezer Butler runs at the end of “The Book of Truth” are worth appreciating double.

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Good for them. I wasn’t a huge fan of Western Sky Ride, but I liked their debut, and they’ve apparently put out no fewer than five records in the last three years, so what the hell. Way to go, Across Tundras. May it be a long and fruitful relationship between you and Neurot Recordings, and may your first child be a masculine child (I’m on a Godfather kick lately). Here’s looking forward to whatever comes next.

The PR wire has this:

Creating unique moonshine-soaked organic rock in the hills of Tennessee, Across Tundras seamlessly meld classic rock, folk, country, psychedelia, and doom into an original, organic style of rock that defies classification and bleeds true Americana. In true nomadic style Across Tundras have previously set-up camp on multiple labels including Crucial Blast and Forgotten Empire, have now found a home with Neurot Recordings.

Stated Neurot/Neurosis‘ Steve Von Till on the signing: “It is with great honor that Neurot Recordings welcomes Across Tundras to our home. Their past releases have shown immense dedication to spirit and commitment to growth and sonic evolution. Those are traits that we admire and look for when declaring kinship among those also on the quest for emotional release through sound.”

Across Tundras‘ Tanner Olson this week also made a statement on their induction into Neurot‘s family: “The opportunity to stand alongside such a talented and driven group of artists and musicians is something we have been working along time for. Neurot Recordings releases the most inspired and original music out there, and its a huge compliment that they see us as kindred musical spirits. Eternal gratitude to the Neurot family for believing in us and giving a proper home to our nomadic sounds.”

More details on the recently completed new Across Tundras album will be announced shortly. Stay tuned for tour announcements and more through the coming months as well.

Legendary American doom guitarist Victor Griffin — of Death Row, Place of Skulls and Pentagram — and I spoke over the course of two consecutive nights. When I called the first night for the interview, he was in the car, listening to an early mix of Last Rites, the new album by Pentagram — whom he rejoined earlier this year — and though that wasn’t the intended topic of the discussion, it was bound to take up some of the time.

What instigated the conversation was the newest record by Place of Skulls — Griffin‘s priority band. Dubbed As a Dog Returns, the album is unquestionably a reboot for the trio of Griffin, bassist Lee Abney (also of Death Row, who reunited for this year’s Roadburn festival in The Netherlands) and drummer Tim Tomaselli. In addition to getting back to their doomed roots, As a Dog Returns also revitalizes Griffin‘s lyrical explorations of his Christian faith, songs like “Breath of Life” and “He’s God” as open and honest in their subject matter as I found Griffin to be in our talk.

The second night of the interview, Griffin was in his studio working on some solo overdubs for Last Rites, and as we moved from Place of Skulls and his beliefs to his return to Pentagram and working once again with vocalist Bobby Liebling, whose sobriety has been discussed here in the past, Griffin took a step back to take a look at both bands’ overall place in doom, and his as well, opining on why in its 30-plus years as a genre, doom has never really hit the mainstream in the way of some other styles, and whether or not he’d even want it to.

Fact of the matter is this: I could go on and on about what Victor Griffin said or whatever, but what it rounds out to is this is one of the best interviews I’ve ever done. For The Obelisk or any other outlet. Victor Griffin was more sincere in his answering my questions than I could have possibly asked, and at the end of the second phone call, I felt like I genuinely knew more about his perspectives on life, music, and God. I hope that as you read through the 7,400-word exchange (with a centered photo to differentiate between the two days), that comes across more than anything else.

Q&A is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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Well how do you like that? Looks like Giddy Up! Records has picked up none other than the mighty Place of Skulls for their roster. This is killer news not just for the band, who’ve secured a US release date for their new album, As a Dog Returns (review here), but also for the label, because Victor Griffin is a fucking legend. Congratulations to all parties involved.

Here’s how the PR wire tells it:

Giddy Up! Records is pleased to announce the addition of Tennessee doomers Place of Skulls to their expanding artist roster, which currently includes Moth Eater, Black Water Rising and Demonica. The New York City-based indie imprint will release Place of Skulls‘ fourth full-length, As a Dog Returns, in North America on Nov. 9, 2010.

Says Giddy Up! label head Steve Seabury: “To me, Victor Griffin is a legend in the doom scene. I am like a little kid at the doom store. It’s an absolute honor and privilege to have Place of Skulls join the Giddy Up! Records family. This record is just amazing. I love it.”

In related news, the band will kick off a two-week European tour with Eternal Elysium this Saturday. As a special bonus, Place of Skulls fans in or around Berlin are eligible for a free pass to Hammer of Doom 4 in Wurzburg and a free copy of As a Dog Returns. Contact placeofskulls@msn.com for more info!

Place of Skulls European Tour 2010
w/Eternal Elysium
10/23 Posthalle, Hammer of Doom 4 Festival – Würzburg, GER
10/24 Gebäude 9 – Köln, GER
10/25 Le Klub - Paris, FR
10/26 Little Devil – Tilburg, NL
10/28 Loppen – Kopenhagen, DK
10/29 Rockefeller/ John Dee – Oslo, NOR w/Orange Goblin
10/30 Tribute Sandnes, Stavanger, NOR w/Orange Goblin
10/31 TBA
11/02 Hafenklang – Hamburg, GER
11/03 Mau – Rostock, GER
11/04 White Trash – Berlin, GER
11/05 Falkendom – Bielefeld, GER
11/06 JH De Lochtink – Eeklo, BEL
11/07 Baroeg, Dutch Doom Days 9 - Rotterdam, NL
11/08 Rosenkeller – Jena, GER

Four years have passed since Place of Skulls released The Black is Never Far, their third album, which was in many ways the culmination of a tumult that brought the band many changes, highs and lows. Guitarist/vocalist Victor Griffin — best known for his work in Pentagram contributing to the Maryland/D.C. doom legacy, though he actually lives in Knoxville, Tennessee these days – has always been at the helm, and that remains true as he brings together the original Place of Skulls trio for their new album, As a Dog Returns. Drummer Tim Tomaselli and bassist/vocalist Lee Abney have both been back in the band for a couple of years, replacing the likes of Pete Campbell (Sixty Watt Shaman) and Dennis Cornelius (ex-Revelation), but As a Dog Returns marks the first studio output the trio has released since Southern Lord put out Nailed in 2001.

And for those who haven’t heard Place of Skulls since then, or for those who perhaps are stuck on 2003’s epic With Vision — on which Griffin united with Scott “Wino” Weinrich (The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, etc.) to release one of the finest traditional doom albums of its decade – you should know a lot has changed. Of course, Griffin is still a master riffer. He has been since the days of Death Row, but sound-wise, Place of Skulls is a much different band than they were nine, seven or even four years ago. In 2010, their sound is still rooted in doom, but as the lead songwriter, Griffin doesn’t shy away from balladry either. The third track on As a Dog Returns, “Though He Slay Me,” is essentially a power ballad about Jesus, and the follow-up, the “Planet Caravan”-esque “Psalm,” isn’t far off that either, at least for the first two and a half minutes. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that after a career touching five decades (Death Row formed in 1979) Griffin’s songwriting should have matured, but the doom on As a Dog Returns isn’t miserable, isn’t downtrodden. It seems to rise up to its challenges. It has hope.

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It’s too bad that “In a world…” movie preview voice-over guy is dead, because he’d be perfect for this trailer. “In a world where scrunchy hardcore kids think they know something about playing doom, one man stands apart from the pack…” and so forth. It would be awesome, but fortunately the music speaks for itself when it comes to Victor Griffin‘s Place of Skulls. Their new album, As a Dog Returns, is due out late September.

I don’t care if he is a Jeezaroo, Victor Griffin plays DOOOM. And that ain’t your standard variety two ‘o’ doom either, it’s DOOOM, all caps, three ‘o’s. This guy’s the fucking king of it.

Place of Skulls, who once upon a time released one of the greatest doom albums of all time in the form of With Vision, are back in September with the new album, As a Dog Returns. It’s their first record in four years, so you know Mr. Griffin‘s been putting riffs in his back pocket for a while now.

For those willing to pick it up, here’s what the PR wire’s puttin’ down:

Knoxville, Tennessee doom metallers Place of Skulls are pleased to announce the upcoming release of their long-awaited fourth full-length, As a Dog Returns. The follow-up to 2006′s The Black is Never Far was recorded at Lakeside Studios in Knoxville by Travis Wyrick and founding guitarist/vocalist Victor Griffin (Pentagram, Death Row, Cathedral, Joe Hasselvander) with drums recorded and engineered by Mike Dearing.

Said Griffin of the band’s latest output: “The new album As a Dog Returns picks up dynamically where The Black is Never Far left off. Where The Black… album had a bit more of a depressive theme lyrically, the new album tends to look to a brighter outcome. Musically we’ve gone further than ever before with dynamics and production. Though all the Place of Skulls’ brand of heaviness you would expect is certainly there, there’s a nice ebb and flow with quieter parts which tend to set a very dramatic and melancholy mood at times to the overall album.

“With every album we’ve done,” he continues, ”our growth and progression has been evident, and this new release is no different. I’m really enjoying the growth of my songwriting as time goes by. I don’t feel as if I have anything to prove so I think the writing gets more open, honest, and genuine with every release.

We’re very excited to finally get a new album out and hit the road again! Look for As As a Dog Returns to be available in late September!”

As a Dog Returns track listing:
1. Timeless Hearts
2. Breath of Life
3. Though He Slay Me
4. Psalm
5. Dayspring
6. The Maker
7. He’s God
8. Desperation
9. As a Dog Returns

The second posthumous release in the American series, and allegedly the final of the bunch, Johnny Cash’s American VI: Ain’t No Grave (Lost Highway) is a record to which it is impossible to listen without thinking of the artist in question, and more specifically, his death. Cash’s frail crooning “voice from beyond the grave” is arguably at its least potent, and were he have to survived longer than he did, it’s doubtful American VI would exist in the form it does now. Hell, even if it had the same song choice, there’s no way those songs would have the edge they do because of the circumstances of the album’s issue.

The point is this: American VI: Ain’t No Grave is a dead man’s album. It sounds like a dead man’s album. Listening to it, I almost feel like I’m intruding on something that should be preserved for the family.

But that’s got to be the idea, right? Johnny Cash knew the score when he was recording his last sessions (from which American V: A Hundred Highways was also derived posthumously), and he knew the form this album would take. On that level, it’s kind of like a joke, all the death references, as though, infirm and weakened from the diabetes-related illnesses, he turned to producer Rick Rubin and said, “This one’ll really get ‘em, ha ha.” After a five-decade career of raising hell even unto having his video for the American IV: The Man Comes Around single “Hurt” (a Nine Inch Nails cover) banned from the Country Music Television channel, who would really be surprised if that was the case?

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I know I wasn’t too into Western Sky Ride by Across Tundras when I bought it, and I stand by not really enjoying it even now removed from the other mitigating factors at Vintage Vinyl that day. Nonetheless, in the interest of whatever the hell this is all in the interest of, I’m happy to report that the band is excited enough about their new material to post their yet-to-be-mastered upcoming album, Old World Wanderer, on their MySpace in its entirety.

Going from “Vanguard Battle Hymn” alone, it sounds better even unmastered and with crappy internet compression than my previous experience with Across Tundras, and certainly leaves a better taste in my mouth. Not that these dudes were crying that I didn’t like their album, but in almost any case, I’d rather dig a band than not.

Here’s what they had to say in their blog about putting the album up. Pretty straightforward:

We uploaded a unmastered version of our new album Old World Wanderer for a limited time, to give you an idea of the moonshine we have been brewing up in the hills over the past few months!

Release details are still sketchy, but expect to see this released in some form in the next month or two!

Hope you enjoy.

Good for them. Whether I wind up loving Old World Wanderer or not (or even hearing it in its finished form), at least Across Tundras are so passionate about what they’re doing as to share it without direct fiscal concern. Hard to argue with that.

The issue was that I’d been standing in Vintage Vinyl for nearly an hour already and wasn’t any closer to finding a single thing I wanted to buy. Okay, that’s not exactly true, but there was nothing I was willing to shell out for at the new or used prices. I’d been all through the used bins, back and forth through the alphabet of the new stuff too, and nothing.

I could have just left. That probably would have been the reasonable course of action. But I’m not a reasonable man, and so — as I stared at the racks one more time and the archetypal cute record store girl behind the counter in the SunnO))) hoodie and Mastodon t-shirt with the dyed red hair began, increasingly, to give me funny looks because there weren’t that many other people in the store and I was the guy who’d been pacing around for almost 60 minutes — I finally just decided to grab something and go. That something was Across Tundras‘ 2008 full-length, Western Sky Ride.

It was right there, I was standing in front of the ‘A’ section, and I just wanted to get out of there. I panicked. And because I remembered liking the first Across Tundras record, 2006′s Dark Songs of the Prarie, well enough, I figured I’d be alright.

Wrong-o.

Out in the parking lot, I disrobed the disc of its shrinkwrap and popped it in, taking out the Them Crooked Vultures CD which I’d been listening to for the umpteenth time. The first song up was “Carrion Crow.” I don’t know what I expected of it — maybe something more atmospheric, ? la Earth — but what I got was sloppy post-metal that sounded like it was recorded in a basement (and not in a good way) and immediate buyer’s remorse. And the only good riff in the song? They fucking WHISTLED over it. Hey man, I’m all for experimentation, more than most, but throw me a bone.

I didn’t make it all the way through “Thunderclap Stomp” before just skipping to the last track, “Gallow’s Pole” to see if it was a Zeppelin cover. Once I ascertained it wasn’t, out came Western Sky Ride. Maybe permanently. There goes $14 I’ll never see again. Too much hip, not enough good.