PALEHORSE (Eyes Of Sound)
Palehorse's style and approach is heavy to say the very least and is underpinned by their distinctively characteristic subject matter. Song names such as 'One, But Not Metallica' and 'How To Avoid Huge Riffs' cement a sense of humour into their music. And, why not? Sometimes one can grow weary of the constant over-usage of 'epic' and dark imagery forever typecast within the slow and doomy riff worshipping genres of the modern day. I mean, don't get me wrong we love this kind of imagery, and when its done well, there is no better alternative, but it makes a refreshing change nevertheless. More to the point, Palehorse are original and thats what appeals to us. A great mixture between the bleakness of drone, the disparity of sludge and the stoner groove we all love.
When listening to various tracks on the net, you come to realise that they differ so much from song to song. Progressive in nature, this is modern heavy experimentation and moreover, there unwillingness to be labelled is transparent. What is impressive about PH is that they can still keep their bearings, and carry on penetrating ear cavities in their own unique and familiar way.
There new full-length album 'Soft As Butter, Hard As Ice' is available through label Eyes Of Sound (Humanfly, Manatees, Bossk) on CD now. Get it and bask in its triumphant greatness.
http://www.eyesofsound.com/label/artist_profile.php?band_id=PAL
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Palehorse/7839402753?ref=ts&sk=app_178091127385
Review of the album can be found here: http://thequietus.com/articles/06478-palehorse-soft-as-butter-hard-as-ice-review
CONAN (Aurora Borealis, Head Of Crom)
Described as 'Caveman Battle Doom' and a 'Devastating, droning, charging warbeast of heaviness'. A despicably slow and heavy 3-piece from Liverpool, Conan are purveyors of dying giants, alien cyclops and lords of the sea. Messengers to arcane and esoteric knowledge of ancient long dead gargantuan belligerent civilisations.
Their sound portrays the desperation of one man caught in siege against ancient creatures, pinned to the walls of a cavernous crevasse. Beasts conquered with mighty axe, but no way out...imprisoned underground, loneliness setting in, surrounded by nothing but giant rotting corpses. Conan present hair-raising elongated wails, backed by deep and grating humongous riffage, moments of utter bleakness coalesce into chest inflating might and galloping flurries. Imagine the ultimate void of a bad trip on a haxan brew and your half way there.
There split with Irish doomsters Slomatics is out on LP via Head of Crom records and CD via Aurora Borealis. A review of the album can be viewed at http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2011/04/11/conanvsslomaticsreview/
http://conan-conan.bandcamp.com/
http://www.aurora-b.com/intro.php
http://www.headofcrom.com/
WIHT
Wiht have a tendency to encapsulate audiences, the kind of trance-like behaviour that you would see at a sound art event. Chin stroking......stoner rock ... it doesn't seem to add up, but don't fret, it most certainly does. They remind me of a more enthused and less lazy Lowrider, producing more tense and dramatic swells entangled in ground thumping molten riffage that makes your skin crawl. A thinking mans stoner band, thoughts of brilliance made hazy through clouds of psychedelic smoke. Even if you don't partake in 'da herb', their performance will most definitely leave you a little light headed. Their new full-length album 'The Harrowing Of The North' is done and ready for your ears. For a great review of this album and a taster of what to expect visit:
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/w/wiht-the-harrowing-of-the-north-cd-2011/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wiht/126962258020
WIZARD'S BEARD (PsycheDoomelic)
With their second album on the way, the beard grows fast and long...this band don't mess around. Like Ronseal, this band does exactly what it says on the tin, 'PURE' and 'FILTH'. No sign of cleanliness here, just all out slaughter - with a little groove for good measure. There are a number of elements to WB's music that are clearly sliced up and meticulously sewn back together. Such is the death influence which is evident on tracks like 'Hemorrhage' and the pseudo-blast beats appearing on 'Wizard's Beard'. There's one thing you can't escape with Wizard's Beard and thats the utmost ferocity of feeling they portray, its not quite as sparse as drone and doom, and not as pummeling as most death and grind, but a kind of in between, like being drunk on a tight rope with emptiness on one side and the River Styx on the other...and the only thing spurring you on is the promise of a four-pack of Tennants super and the dirtiest kebab you've ever seen just winking at you in the distance.
'Pure Filth' is out now on PsycheDoomelic Records and can be purchased here:
http://www.wizardsbeard.co.uk/
Read a review of 'Pure Filth' here: http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/tag/wizards-beard/
http://www.facebook.com/WizardsBeard
SHIELDS
Triumph, glory, wenches, mead, longboats, helmets, riding horseback, giving motivational speeches before battle ... all in a days work for Leeds' 'medieval power rock' troupe Shields. The might of this band oozes with every down-tuned riff, war cry and drum assault conveyed in the few tracks we have heard. the feeling you get when you here them live is kinda like that first epic war scene you ever saw; something like Braveheart or Jason and the Argonauts or more recently, '300'... its a bit overwhelming and bloody, but when you know the good guys are winning, its goosebumps and fist in the air there on in. A very heavy band without being in your face about it, the rebel yell of the singer is harmonious and with this it makes space for the deepness of the vigorous riffage. This band really grab our attention and will most definitely do the same to you. Hopefully, there will be an album in the midst for the near future, shotgun getting one first.
http://www.facebook.com/Shieldsband?sk=info
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vgJF5EdgQg&feature=youtu.be
BASTARD OF THE SKIES (Mother Should Know/ Lockjaw Records)
Having played with the likes of Kylesa, Baroness, Black Sun and The Sontanan Experiment, BOTS shouldn't fail to impress at this years Filth Fest. Since 2006 they have been producing planet demolishing sludgey post-rock that makes me reminisce of bands like Pelican (back when they were heavy) and Neurosis. Saying that, while allowing the album 'Ichor! Ichor!' to soak in, other influences come into play ever so subtly but undoubtedly. This band clearly listen to a LOT of monstrous music and then spear head the whole concoction through your torso like a heavy injection of pure adamantium. Their music is recorded and produced by themselves in the singer's studio and they have collaborated with artist Sean Schock (Buzz'oven) for the artwork to 'Ichor! Ichor!'. There's some great production on there and we believe they have truly captured an incredibly heavy sound. For instance we love it when vocals are squeezed and buried to the extent in which it makes you listen more, the distance of screams and growls emanating from the belly of the singer is pushed way down into the dark and dank swamp marshes past the outer nether regions of some strange, stinking alien planet. We excitedly await the arrival of this band and hope you are there to witness it. Their album 'Ichor! Ichor! is out now on Mother Should Know/ Lockjaw Records.
http://bastardoftheskies.bandcamp.com
http://www.lockjawrecords.co.uk/
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/interviews/a-f/bastard-of-the-skies-interview/
NITKOWSKI (Function Records)
I read somewhere that if you're describing music as 'angular' you should be shot... but if that were the case, I may have to get in the queue for the firing line. Nitkowski are slanty. Bands sometimes have the ability to transcend applicable sensory responses, for instance have you ever gone to a gig and come back home with a funny taste in your mouth? I know I have. Well Nitkowski do a similar thing, but its not something you can quite pinpoint - partly because you are for the most part trying to lift your jaw back up from the resulting gawky amazement brought on from their ridiculous musicianship. Echoes of early Shellac but sharper, Beefheart but sturdier and Dysrhythmia but with more melody and warmth. Like a lecture in atonalities and beat counting, resulting in the concluding energy transferral from instrument to ear. This band will fill in all the in between notes to a music event consisting of, for the most part, quite slow and sludgey emanations. Their album 'Chauffeurs' is out now on Function records, get it now!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nitkowski/305200420472
http://www.nitkowski.net
http://www.functionrecords.com/
TREE OF SORES (Witchhunter Records)
Delicate and destructive at the same time, like a budding orchid amid shrouds of settling ash, a smoldering aftermath to a raging fire. They take a simplistic approach to their densely disparate sound, through idea to development in a greasy sandwiched package of noise and drone. With new addition of bassist Joe Hall (Wiht), they will arrive fourth band on, probably in darkness ruminating over rolling sparse psychedelia and mental annihilation. Prepare your brain boxes for steady absorbing tones and drones, we hope you enjoy the feeling of teetering over the edge of nothingness. A soundtrack to every long drawn out Lynchian scene where all the onlooker can do is stare vacantly at the inwardly directed nightmare caused by its spectacular abandoning tension. Tree of Sores are rebels among null voidian landscapes of the lobotomised mind.
Their debut self-titled EP is out now on Witch Hunter Records.
http://treeofsores.bandcamp.com/
www.witchhunterrecords.com
http://www.crustcake.com/2011/05/freshly-baked-tree-of-sores.html
SLOTH HAMMER
By inflicting injury to a physically challenged droid, the resulting sound is the pulverised, circuit bent atrocity of Sloth Hammer. Endurance is the key word here, for to 'endure' their live shows is to withstand melees of sonic offence, a forever wincing tilt marks a successful gig for these guys. It wouldn't surprise me if a little poo came out as well. With a few releases under their belt and a couple more additions to their live line up, expect something a little different. Or maybe just accept that the Sloth Hammer will once again lower upon your delicate ears and leave them red raw probably to a greater extent. Yeaaah thats right... what? yeah?! Nah I can't hear you... .... what? Mmmm yeah.
You can download their music here:
Split w/ Drvonesound
http://www.mediafire.com/?mhwmb3mchk9t7h3
'The Improvised Torture Sessions Vol. 1' - April 2011
http://www.mediafire.com/?mzopcqla15eew9y
http://www.facebook.com/SlothHammer
FALLEN COLOSSUS
Finally!....A nice bit of prog to spout shit about. RIght, well this band have some serious neo-Rush credentials. I dare say it a little more stoner than your average Cambridgeshire prog rock, which I personally think adds plenty more meat to that skinny bone. Elaborate vocal effects and swirling synths, Big Muffs and super long tom rolls.... we friggin love this shit. I've also heard they've added a separate keyboardist to their roster which we look forward to witnessing for the first time. They are currently plugging away at an EP (or full-length more than likely) that they are producing themselves while guitarist/ vocalist Imran engineers the whole process. The two tracks we've heard are delicious, a superfluous menagerie of bountiful melodies interwoven with monster riffage and all topped off with some quite nifty song structures. FC add some early sunshine to the bill, alighting a phantasmagorical outcrop teeming with eccentric fauna and flora... an oasis to the desert of unbearable and austere desolation that marks the majority of this years line up.
http://www.fallencolossus.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/fallencolossus
Live Review @ OneMetal:
http://www.onemetal.com/2011/06/22/magnapinna-fallen-colossus-tree-of-sores-the-fenton-leeds-17711/
PLACE OF THE HIDDEN GOD
This shall be the first gig for these purveyors of dark and groovy tech metal. A deeply conceptual outing that charts man's struggle to resist control. A vehement response to inner personal and emotional vexations channeled through metaphors and resulting in an overall misanthropic outcome. Very deep and well thought out lyrical content is coupled with intricate, poly-rhythmic bombardments of the tight-knit components of drums and guitar. Make sure you get down early and catch this band's set, it is the ultimate opener for a potentially fatal headbanging day out. With a full album already recorded with the magical Ross @ Ghosttown, there's plenty to sample before the eagerly awaited day arrives. Check it out here:
http://soundcloud.com/placeofthehiddengod
So, thats it! I hope you have enjoyed reading, and most importantly make sure you get yourselves down to the Well on 29 OCT for the first FILTH FEST!!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=243661192330820
Support your local music scene and follow all the bands on Facebook... keep an eye out for Big Spaceship gigs as well.
Peace
This is gonna be one HELL of a day, looking forward to the mayhem...
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