Blast From The Past...

Wild Turkey - Turkey (1972)

Its been a little while since I dug deep into the dusty old vaults and found y'all something classic and little known. So dig I did and here's a little something for the weekend...

So what happens when you up a leave a band like Jethro Tull?.. 
Well screw it, you may as well start your own band and thats just what bassist Glenn Cornick did. A risky move when you were a founding member of one of the most influential prog rock bands of all time and leaving at the hight of their work. None the less, in 1971 Wild Turkey was born and wisely straying away from their progressive roots and going down a more bluesy, mellow road. 

This was the bands second release, following their first album Battle Hymn. An album which saw them tour heavily around the UK and USA supporting Black Sabbath and reuniting Cornick and Toni Iommi (as Iommi had a brief stint with the Tull). The year between the two recordings saw the departure of both guitarists Jon Blackmore and Alan Lewis but also saw additional keyboards courteously of Steve Gurl and new guy Mick Dyche, leaving the band limping on with just one guitarist. In 1972 the guys recorded and released Turkey, which was to be their final studio album.

The next couple of years following the second album saw the band slowly dismantle and everyone parting ways, until 1974 when Cornick decided to call the whole thing a day. Thats until 1996 when (almost) the original line up got back together and released their first recordings in over 22 years. 

Its a little different to what I've put up of recent but if you're liking a bit of old school classic rock give it a listen.

~ Jay

For Fans Of; ZZ Top, Lynard Skynyrd, Grand Funk Railroad, Captain Beyond, Jerry Reed

Website • Myspace

Turkey (320kbps)

Where The Sun Dont Shine...

Dala Sun - Sala Dun (2010)

This is another gem I've had knocking around for a while but for some reason or another I'd just not got round to giving it my full attention. Shame on me!

So without much further ado, all the way from Greece I give you Dala Sun. A great trio producing huge waves of what I can only describe at desert doom. Massive fuzzy down tuned guitars cranking out great slow mountains of groove with distant deep vocals bellowed over the top. With flashes of psychedelic and glimmers of classic rock peeking through the fuzz here and there, for me the album really comes into its own when the tempo picks up in the track Fuck It All Away. Picking up the pace and giving you a Dozer-like blast straight to the ears. On the whole the album's as heavy as a two sumo wrestlers in a tank and just shy of really being labeled doom, but with the nicely timed shades of calming ambience and samples it varies the recording perfectly. A truly epic self released piece of work.

These guys are real hard workers, producing and distributing their music entirely off their own backs and even giving this 8 track monster of an album away free! So hit up their myspace and show some gratitude, God knows they deserve it!

~ Jay

For Fans Of; Yawning Man, The Machine, Dozer, Ocean Towers, Lonely Kamel

Myspace

Sala Dun (320kbps)

Giant Slayers...

Goading Goliath - Selftitled EP (2009)

Now come on, is that or is that not the best cover artwork you've seen in a long time?! 

Ive been fortunate to see this little UK trio quite a few times live and every time they've been nothing short of awesome. With vocal duties split between guitarist Chris and bassist Sarah, the band find themselves amongst those unique few bands that can have both a male and female singer and still pull off a great sounding heavy band. 

If your thing is simple old school heavy rock with killer catchy riffs and vocals you can howl along to, I guarantee that within the first 10 seconds of the first track you'll fall in love with this band. 

Unfortunately this is just a 3 track EP, so it will end up leaving you gasping for more, but the band have returned to the studio and laid down a handful of new tracks. So watch this space!

~ Jay

For Fans Of: Viking Skull, Orange Goblin, Thunder Horse, The Sword, The Subways 

Myspace

Selftitled EP (192kbps)

Spaced Out Scandinavians...

Ponamero Sundown - Rodeo Eléctrica (2011)

For some reason I just assumed this was another great Spanish band - bull on the cover, accent over the e in Eléctrica... Hey, It was an easy mistake. But these fellas are in fact from icy old Sweden and lets face it, the Swedes know how to put a good stoner/space rock band together. So if you're in search of memorable grooves and more riffs than you can shake stick at then Ponamero Sundown are the band for you. 

This, their second full studio album gives an all round more, for want of a better word, 'experimental' sound compared to their cracking first album Stonerized. This time around producing a sort of mix of Red Sparowes esque shoe gaze and early Kyuss style riffage, the clash of styles really does makes for a truly great space rock offering. Although the album opens with frantic drums and churning guitars the mood soon changes into a more ambient spaced out feel. The tempo drops and the vocals distort and echo producing a more somber affair. But worry not, if this isn't really your thing, as the album progresses it snakes in and out of styles and speeds yet still retaining a steady balance of heavy psychedelic rock.

A great follow up to an awesome first album. If you're looking for something a bit mixed you really should check this record out. 

For Fans Of; Queens Of The Stone Age, Monster Magnet, Blowback, Top Dead Celebrity, Marulk

Website • Myspace • iTunes

Rodeo Eléctrica (320kbps)

It Does Exactly What Its Says On The Cover...

Wizard Smoke - The Speed Of Smoke (2011)

Break out your bong's people, its time to get well and truly stoned! 

Wizard Smoke are 5 piece master stoner/doom outfit hailing from Atlanta and this is their first major release, and you know what?... They're giving it away free! Yup, 100% totally free of charge. Ok this isn't exactly unheard of but, when you give the album a listen you'll be pretty surprised they've done such a thing with such quality material. Slow sharp yet sludgy guitars and growling echoing vocals coupled with eerie tones of ambient filler leave you feeling like someone's put Soilent Green and Isis in the room with you and told them to jam. Having listened to previous recordings put up on their Myspace its really to notice just how the band have evolved and progressed, giving this latest recording massively more depth and character. 

Despite the staggeringly low and generous price tag of exactly nothing, theres no doubt I'll still be throwing some cash their way and picking this up on vinyl when its released next month. 

For Fans Of; Sleep, Grief, Weedeater, Kamni, Elder, Ahkmed

Website • Myspace

The Speed Of Smoke (320kbps)

Record Store Day Special...

ZZ Top / Mastodon - Just Got Paid 7" (2011)

Just a quick post for y'all being as its April 16th and that means... Yup, Record Store Day!

So every year a limited number of various albums, singles, reissues and split EP's etc get chucked out into the market and everyone goes ape shit for them, and this year is no exception. 
So for all you grindcore fans you'll be happy to hear that Hydrahead have reissued Discordance Axis's quintessential album The Inalienable Dreamless on lovely sky blue wax and if that wasnt enough they've also pressed a new Neurosis 4 track EP. But if that doesn't float your boat, worry not as for all you metal heads Mastodon have a new double live LP out complete with live dvd (be warned it's not cheap). But for me this is the kicker... Mastodon and ZZ Top's split 7", both performing Just Got Paid. 

Luckily I got my grubby little mitts on this earlier in the week and its a good job I did, as its pressed to just 5000 copies and they're all flying off the shelves. Get yours while you can!

• Label: Reprise Records / Warner Bros. Records

• Pressing Info: Yellow 7" Limited to 5000 copies

• Price: £6 - £20

Mastodon Myspace • Mastodon iTunes


ZZ Top Myspace • ZZ Top iTunes

Just Got Paid (320kbps)

From Stone(rs) Comes Sand...

The Sand Collector - Lord Of The Sun (2011)

Born from the ashes of a variety of quite established post rock and stoner bands The Sand Collector put an early formation together in 2007. After the brief departure of a couple of the guys the band found themselves carrying on as a three piece, but as fate would have it they finally completed their line up in 2009 after recruiting the vocal talents of Pepe Belda and the guitar wielding of Fernando Ferre. 

Ive gotta say, if I was either of the guys that left this band I'ld be kicking myself after hearing this epic debut album. Smashing right out the gates with thick waves of dirty southern rock sounding riffs and gruff vocals the opening track The Chains Of Fear sets a great pace and feel for the rest of the recording. If you didn't know any better you'd swear this was a band from Texas or some other southern US state. Some would maybe use this as a criticism, claiming the band are just attempting to sound American, but I call bull on that. The genre is no longer confined to the likes of New Orleans or such like, as more and more bands from the opposite side of the pond are picking up the style and running with it. If all these attempts had been futile then I maybe inclined to agree with the criticism but Im currently back logged with awaiting reviews for these kinda bands, and The Sand Collector is no exception. 

The huge thumping bass and down toned guitars make for an excellent backing to Pepe's gritty voice. The guys simply excel at art of chugging riffs, everything is so tight its hard to believe this is a debut for them. 

If you're partial to a bit of Dozer, Red Fang and other bands of a similar ilk then you've gotta check these fellas out!

For Fans Of; Orange Goblin, Masterdon, Dukes Of Nothing, Stonehelm, Dala Sun

Myspace

The Sand Collector (192kbps)

Columbus's Latest Discovery...

Lo-Pan - Salvador (2011)

Oh yet another great find! I've had this album playing constantly since I stumbled on it. 

From Columbus, Ohio I give you Lo-Pan. Incase you're like me and are wondering where you've heard that name before, I'll save you the hours of brain racking contemplating and frustration... Its the name of the bad guy from Big Trouble In Little China. I could have saved myself all the torment just by looking at their bio, but I was determined to figured it out myself.

Anyway, back on topic...  Salvador, is the bands third studio album (thats not including the remix of the second album Sasquanaut). I totally missed the previous two releases, but on the strength of this little gem I've been hurriedly picking up their back catalog. 

Furious pummelling drums, epic riffage and soaring vocals all await in this innocent looking package. Securing itself mainly in a stoner/desert rock style more than anything else, the album still hints at other heavy influences, from classic seventies esque guitar licks and mellowed out verses and break downs to frantic break neck drumming and riffs which ooze a certain eighties Metallica homage. There's a strong feel of precision and really technical aspects within every instrument's contribution but the band still manage to retain an awesome simplicity and groove in every song. Its such a refreshing change over the whole 'speed over quality' approach that a lot of bands have seemed have adopted over the years, often leaving their albums sounding massively over produced, sterile and generally bollocks.

Anyway, Lo-Pan - Great band and an awesome storming release that going to find itself slapped straight in my top 5 of 2011! Go check out the links below for this and the 2nd album Sasquanaut, then head over to iTunes and show your appreciation. 

For Fans Of; Kyuss, The Company Band, Venomin James, The Foreign Objects, Ridge 

Website • Myspace • iTunes

Sasquanaut (192kbps)

Salvador (192kbps)

Stormy Weather...

Weathers - Heavy Truck (2011)

I got hold of this a couple of weeks ago, but having agreed to other commitments its taken me until now to get it up here. Better late than never though eh?

Now you can gather a pretty good idea of what you're in for straight from the cover on this one. Varied bright colours, weed leaf, 'heavy' in the title... C'mon, you know what this all adds up to... Psychedelic stoner rock! 

Forming just a couple of years ago back in 2009 they started life as a four piece and at the start of 2010 hit the studio to lay down their first demo. By August guitarist Jim departed and handed over axe wielding duties to vocalist Mike. The new line up then kicked off the new year by hitting the road and touring Greece. Then last month the guys once again headed back to the studio to knock together this little EP. And what a great little EP it is! Hitting just the right balance between stoner, doom, psychedelic and sludge. Theres something in there for everyone. Massive dirty waves of riffs and vocals so tortured they sounds like they're escaping from hell itself. Think of a mash of Sourvein's vocals and Dopefights epic winding sludgey tunes... Its a nice thought isn't it? Well this is the sort of thing you're in for. 

The guys are soon to be putting into action plans for a full length album, so watch this space!

For Fans Of; Kamni, Cult of Luna, Weedeater, Dopefight, Truckfighters 

Myspace

Heavy Truck (320kbps)

What An Ass!...

Voodoo Mule - Demo (2011)

It's always nice when you wake up to some foreign stoner doom appearing in your inbox. So last week, needless to say I was happy to get an email from one of the guys from Voodoo Mule.

Now its kind of hard to imagine what you're in for when you see a band name like that. Folk rock sludge?.. Thrash country?.. Maybe some kind of rural techno?.. Well as it turns out, its unadulterated trippy, down toned dirty stoner doom! With smatterings of samples like Electric Wizard, vocals reminiscent to that of Mike Williams and slow churning groovey riffs like Sleep. The last time I heard a demo/EP of a similar ilk was back last year with Kamni's self titled EP, and that little bad boy knocked my socks off! Im not sure how many other stoner doom bands hail from Slovenia, I cant imagine they have a great deal of competition but even still, I think its a pretty safe bet that these guys are at the top of the  food chain. 

Pushing a little over 16 mins the demo grooves, grinds and groans over 3 tracks, the high light for me being the awesome opening bars to Powder Boy. If you're anything like me Im sure this little offering will leave you gasping for more. 

It looks as though the guys have yet to get anything out in the way of merch or such like, but keep an eye on these fellas because with the right backing I can easily see them going global. 

For Fans Of; Eyehategod, Sleep, Grief, Weedeater, Lord Of Doubts 

ReverbNation

Demo (320kbps)

Fuzz From Oz...

Shellfin - Secondhand Family (2010)

Yet more down tuned fuzzy offerings from the land down under here, and once again yet another band that have somehow found their way onto my iTunes yet gone pretty much unlistened to. My bad!

Its kind of a mixed album this one. Its begins with a desert rock feel then fluctuates between awesome waves of heavy stoner riffs before abruptly calming down into long psychedelic drum and bass solos then jumping right back into the mix with a fuzzy chugging metal sound. What ever you're into you're bound to find at least a couple of tracks on here that'll float your boat. 

Follow the link below to their bandcamp page where you can download the whole 8 track album for the fantastic one off price of free! The same goes for their first self titled 2009 EP too. But go on, the options there to chuck the band a few quid so don't be tight...

For Fans Of; Kyuss, Unida, Monster Magnet, Daredevil, Palm Desert

Myspace

Second Hand Family (320kbps)