Meanwhile In Russia...

Electricjezus - Грязь поколений (Mud Of Generations) (2013)

This one almost slipped through the cracks. Luckily, my mild OCD tendencies kicked in and decided to give our spam folder a bit of a clean out. Then I noticed, buried down there between the emails from sluts apparently trying to contact me and the Nigerian royalty requesting me to help them out financially a little email from Russia...
Here's the deal... Electricjezus is a two man project hailing from Dmitrov (just north of Moscow) Russia. Made up of Ruslan (guitars, bass and vocals) and Oleg (drums), the guys have chosen to go pure unadulterated doom when it comes to their set up. Whacking a bass pick up in the neck of Ruslans guitar, then using the thickest strings know to the musical world for an incredibly dirty and fuzz string section. Not to be out done, Oleg often uses a piece of metal for a hi hat. So yeah, if you thought your band were "proper metal", then think again because Agoraphobic Nosebleed haven't even got much on these chaps. I mean, they sing in Russian for Christ sake! Just top that!
Being a dirty and fuzzy mash of post metal, sludge, stoner doom and grindcore this album can't fail but tear at the very fabric of your mind. Recorded entirely using analogue equipment, the guys didn't piss around with anything fancy when they hit the studio. Utilising an old piano, some busted up mics, broken cymbals and even an old Soviet synthesiser! C'mon, tell me your band has used and old, cold war era Soviet synthesiser!? But impressive as that list is, it does kinda leave some pause for thought. A thought that all but draws to the conclusion 'Awww, this is gonna sound like utter crap'. Sure, you'd be excused for that jumping to that conclusion, but trust me, it's far from the reality. For just two guys using some old beaten up equipment, presumably in sub-freezing temperatures, this album is incredibly varied. It toys with some brilliantly disturbing samples to full effect, thats really the first thing you'll notice. The second thing is just how versatile it is. Yeah it's predominantly cut form the same sort of cloth as early Soilent Green and Extreme Noise Terror but it manages to fluctuate so effortlessly between that, dirty eerie doom (much like Eagle Twin or Wolves In The Throne Room) and full bore, post punk hardcore (akin to Unsane and Rorschach). It's chock full of groove and grit in equal measures and if you ask me, thats one hell of a feat. But I could jabber on all day about these guys, you really need to go and experience them. Besides we all know the Russians don't pull any punches when it comes to this shit, and this big fat fuzzy slab of post-sludge-grindcore is a another prime example. Go and get it.
If you've got the balls.
~ Jay

For Fans Of; The Day Is Today, Acid Bath, Kvelertak, Devil, Kamni

Facebook • Bandcamp

Грязь поколений (Mud Of Generations) (320kbps)

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Hail, Hail...

Sada - All Hail The Beeflords (2013)

In the early years of metal, some bands still embraced the "hair-band" aesthetic (lame), but could clearly rock and knew where the genre was destined to go. Luckily, those bands have inspired a whole slew of great acts today across the globe...I'm talking about the shredding, not the perm or the neon-red, leather pants. Anyway, I was introduced this week to SADA, a British powerhouse that never lightens up the pace and brings the intensity (and fun) of late 90's metal that just makes you want to kick off some heads and throw up the horns.

After a seven-year hiatus, SADA is preparing to release their official debut album (originally recorded in 2006), and, truth be told, the band is clearly ready to hit the scene and explode some eardrums. Masterful drumming, solid vocals and an ensemble of classic-sounding yet fierce guitars drive SADA's album from track to track, showcasing moments of epic stoner greatness that still hold up today. With some titles like "Bride of Cuntenstein" jumping right out at the listener, SADA makes it apparent that their sense of humor remains intact amongst the slamming and jamming, the riffs and the primal feel of the breakdowns.

While similarities and comparisons will always be made between acts, SADA maintains a strong sound that is unique, dirty and admirable. Sludge, doom, drone, tech...they all their place and influences on metal and the artists that create it every day. For my money, give me quick-and-to-the-point, balls-to-the-wall, hard-hitting rock that reminds you of why you love the music you seek out and cherish. If you feel the same at all, do yourself a huge favor and go check out SADA right this instant.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Pantera, Viking Skull, Fireball Ministry, Sasquatch, Thunder Horse

Facebook • Myspace • Bandcamp

All Hail The Beeflords (320 kbps)

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Generating A Satisfying Confusion...

Palmer Generator ~ (e)motionless (2013)

It's been a while since I've had some post rock/metal turn up in my inbox. Which I must say, doesn't bother me too much as it's more often than not a pretty mixed bag. I do love the genres, but I'm just not sure I contain enough enthusiasm about to fully appreciate everything I receive. None the less, I'm (relatively) open minded so when Italy's Palmer Generator dropped me a message I thought I should knuckle down and see what I thought.
Straight from the get go and quite solidly for the first six minutes you get a real sense that theres a heavy industrial influence flowing through this album. Not quite in the same league as Trent Reznor (well, who is?) but certainly nipping at his coattails. That familiar early Nine Inch Nails tone rears its head at moments, and does actually remain a sort of foundation to the album, but it is soon met and intermixed in with a plethora of other styles and characteristics. Just half way through the opening track Phoneutria you're suddenly met with a dark ambience more akin to shoegaze, then if that was enough, it's swiftly followed by pure, mid 70's prog rock, predominantly in the form of a flute(?), played by 'Andrea The Peruvian Piper' according to the credits. It's kinda like listening to Ministry play in one ear and retro Dutch prog wizards Focus in the other. Conflicting on paper, but strangely complimentary in practice. But once again the formular changes when you hit track 3, Jargon. Within seconds you're met with with something that could quite easily be passed off as Pelican in their prime. Then, once again, you're briefly thrown a curveball in the shape of a desert rock. Like a stoned Fu Manchu had just burst into the studio, played a few licks then disappeared just as quickly as they appeared. Again, not a combination that you would necessarily assume works well, but once again you're left having learnt a lesson. This unconventional approach plays on throughout the entirety of the album. It is pretty unorthodox and as a result it can leave you somewhat baffled at first, even to the extent of having to check you didn't just accidentally skip to the next track, or even artist on your iTunes. That being said it does manage to fall just shy of being utterly confusing and overly disjointed. In fact, despite being an amalgamation of classic rock, post rock, prog rock, space rock, desert rock, stoner rock, southern rock, doom, shoegaze, post metal, industrial, blues and jazz there was only one element that just didn't work for me - the vocals. It's not that they were essentially bad or anything, just that they never really felt like they fitted in. I've thought long and hard about it and come to the conclusion that it's down to the fact that everything else is so diverse and free to flit from style to style, tone to tone. You just can't afford that same privilege to vocals. I think that if they dropped the singing and maybe played around with some samples instead everything would really drop into place just perfectly. Still, the vocals are quite few and far between so you may not even give them a second thought. Besides, there's such a massive selection of riffs, epitomising so many genres of the last 40+ years, you should be left more than satisfied either way.
~ Jay

Website • Facebook • Bandcamp

(e)motionless (320kbps)

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News...

Our man Dan at Easy Rider Records has been busy as hell working on the first release of Red Desert's cracking album Damned By Fate. The album generated a major underground following upon it release last year, but as of today (9am PST) it will make it's very first physical appearance in the form of a lovely limited press of just 100 cassettes, consisting of four colours - 55 black, 20 red, 15 purple and 10 gold in the form of the diehard version which will consist of all four colours, 12 badges, a digital download and a private first refusal on the vinyl test presses and diehard versions due out around September time. Now if thats not one hell of an incentive then nothing is! Hit up the store now, because these will fly!
In other news our other good friends, STB Records have announced yet another project in the works. Bright Curse's self titled release will be getting a limited release... more info to follow. As for the present, the Spelljammer limited vinyl (75 diehard / 175 regular) is almost finished. Fingers crossed, around this time next week they should be ready and waiting to go. Keep checking back to hit up our review and be the first to know when they go live. 

Once again, and in case you misse it before, we're now on Instagram!
Follow us @RideWithTheDevil and be sure to also follow our guys - @EasyRiderRecords & @STBRecords... They're often running competitions, so you may just win yourself some nice... and we all know how much you all like free shit! 

New Vinyl Releases -

Across Tundras/Lark's Tongue - Split LP (Cavity Records)
Ape Machine ~ Mangled By The Machine  (Ripple Music)
ASG - Blood Drive (Relapse)
Centuries ~ Broken Hymns (This Charming Man)

Colour Haze - She Said (Elektrohasch Records)
Devil - Gather The Sinners  (Emetic)
Ghost - Infestissumam (Universal)
High Priest Of Saturn - Self Titled  (Svart)

Orchid - Mouths Of The Madness  (Nuclear Blast)
Pet The Preacher - Papa Zen & Meet The Creature  (Bilocation Records)
Salem's Pot - Watch Me Kill You (Easyrider Records)
Stoned Jesus - First Communion (Nasoni)
Sunwølf II - Midnight Moon (Speedowax)
Toner Low - III (Bilocation Records)

New Pre-orders/Upcoming Release -

Black Rainbows ~ Supermothafuzalicious (Reissue) (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Black Pyramid ~ Adversarial (Hydro Phonic Records)
Coffins - The Fleshland (Relapse)
Converge - Caring & Killing (Reissue) (Hydra Head)
Discordance Axis - Jou Hou (Reissue) (Hydra Head)
Dopethrone - Dark Foil (Totem Cat Records)

Mars Red Sky - Be My Guide EP (Self Released)

Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork 
Sleep - Dopesmoker (Reissue) (Southern Lord)
Spelljammer - Vol. II (STB Records)

Temple Of The Smoke - The Lost Art Of Twilight (Cosmic Eye)
Thumlock ~ Emerald Liquid Odyssey (Kozmik Artifatz)
Toxic Shock - Daily Demons (Reflections Records)
Wo Fat/Egypt - Cyclopean Riffs (Totem Cat Records)

~

One-Man Wolfpack...

Zeppheroin - Howl (2013)

There's something to be said about self-produced music...I don't know what that saying is, but let's just chalk it up to: "It's pretty damn impressive." Tony Maim, aka Zeppheroin, seems to have mastered his vision of do-it-yourself doom, and, on his latest EP, has taken the genre to a deep, dark place that truly displays the talents of the one-man band. Keeping it slow and riddled with riffs, Maim's project never veers off course and focuses in on near drone territory. Maim's gravelly vocals never try and overshadow the well-placed instrumentation or impressive shredding, and with each track clocking in around the 6- to 7-minute mark, Maim makes it abundantly clear that the music is what drives his passion for metal.

Ratcheting down the tempo from his past releases, Maim reveals the versatility of his song-writing and shows that nothing hits home quite like a crushing sound at a sluggish pace. Don't let the tech metal kids and breakdown-saturated, new school shit fool you, Maim is hear to tell you that if it is too slow, then you're too young.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Acid King, Mclusky, Sleep, Dead Meadow, Judd Madden

Website • Facebook • Bandcamp

Howl (303 kbps) • Naked Lunch (320 kbps) • The Atrocity Exhibition (320 kbps)

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Tall And Dusty...

Twingiant - Sin Nombre (2013)

The dusty and gritty deserts of Arizona have brought forth sludge doomers Twingiant, and I for one welcome the dirty bastards with open arms. With their most recent effort, the band have self-produced five hard-hitting tracks that cover the complex realm of desert rock with a twist of metal madness. While keeping in time with the (dare I say) groove and funk of western-style rock, Twingiant’s growling vocals and cataclysmic bass lines spin the effort into a mish-mash of everything right in metal today. Given that the band have an exemplary way of showing how dirty and tough their sound can be, Sin Nombre remains a diamond in the rough amongst doom offerings these days because of the numerous moments of pure instrumental talent that presents itself at the most unexpected times. Short, sweeping guitars often break up the teeth-bashing breakdowns that provide a brief relief before the brutality continues. Interesting sample selections also help the EP grab the listener from the get go, providing substance and perhaps an explanation behind the songs, never overstaying their welcome or making the album seem hokey.

After a few listens, I can’t help but wonder what Twingiant has going on out there in the desert. All I know is, if you dwell anywhere near these guys, get out and support their grungy, grimy and all-around insane sound. Take care not to get too much sand in your nether-regions while you’re at it.

~Joe

For Fans Of; The Ocean, Pallbearer, Black Tusk, Saviours

Website • Facebook • Bandcamp

Sin Nombre (248 kbps)

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Ireland Bound & Down...

Trucker Diablo - Songs Of Iron (2013)

Gotta admit that there isn't a lot that I know about Ireland, except that I like to drink what is brewed over there. That pretty much means it's one of my favourite countries in the world, and Trucker Diablo only enhance that opinion. Their latest release, Songs Of Iron, is a hard rock record perfect for a booze fueled night out at the bar! It's energetic, mean and dirty rock 'n' roll with here and there a glimpse of glam. No need to say it was perfectly to my liking from the moment I first heard it. Actually, hold on, not needless to say, I like it so much I want to say it over and over again, but that would make for a pretty uninteresting review though.
Trucker Diablo tirelessly rock hard throughout the album; here and there they give you a second to let you catch your breath, but mostly they go out balls to the wall shredding guitars, loud drums and incredibly catchy vocals. The band's young (they started in 2008) but they know what they're doing. They've played major festivals like Download, opened for The Foo Fighters and earned recognition by fellow Irish Thin Lizzy, which goes to show how much they have it together.

Now I know this review goes up on a Monday, but even so you should do yourself a favour and grab a cold pint, sit back and turn on Songs Of Iron. Loudly. It'll be a great start of your week. I know I will.

~ Ruben

For Fans Of; Nightstalker, ZZ Top, Truckfighters, Modern Slang, Black Label Society

Website • Facebook • Myspace • SoundCloud • Bandcamp

Songs Of Iron ($7)

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News...

Our good friends over at Easy Rider Records and STB Records have announced some butt clenchingly, awesomely good upcoming releases for the near future. Easy Rider will be putting out the amazing Red Desert - Damned By Fate. Initially to be released on casette (100 copies), then on double vinyl soon after. They also have some new label shirts in the store so go check them out too. 

STB have got Spelljammer's Vol. II almost ready to roll out (50 diehard copies/200 regular), and they have just let slip on two forthcoming titles from Brimstone Coven and Drug Lord, which are obviously going to be killer.

In other less exciting news we're now on Instagram!
Follow/tag us using @RideWithTheDevil / #RideWithTheDevil or just click the big spazzy icon below...

New Vinyl Releases -

Ape Machine ~ Mangled By The Machine  (Ripple Music)

Colour Haze - She Said (Elektrohasch Records)
Devil - Gather The Sinners  (Emetic)
Ghost - Infestissumam (Universal)
High Priest Of Saturn - Self Titled  (Svart)

Naam - The Ballad Of The Starchild  (Tee Pee Records)
Nails - Abandon All Life  (Southern Lord)
Orchid - Mouths Of The Madness  (Nuclear Blast)
Pet The Preacher - Papa Zen & Meet The Creature  (Bilocation Records)
Salem's Pot - Watch Me Kill You (Easyrider Records)
Stoned Jesus - First Communion (Nasoni)
Sunwølf II - Midnight Moon (Speedowax)
Toner Low - III (Bilocation Records)
The Wall - Self Titled (This Charming Man)

New Pre-orders/Upcoming Release -

Across Tundras/Lark's Tongue - Split LP (Cavity Records)
ASG - Blood Drive (Relapse)
Black Pyramid ~ Adversarial (Hydro Phonic Records)
Coffins - The Fleshland (Relapse)
Converge - Caring & Killing (Reissue) (Hydra Head)
Discordance Axis - Jou Hou (Reissue) (Hydra Head)
Dopethrone - Dark Foil (Totem Cat Records)

Mars Red Sky - Be My Guide EP (Self Released)

Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork 
Sleep - Dopesmoker (Reissue) (Southern Lord)
Spelljammer - Vol. II (STB Records)

Temple Of The Smoke - The Lost Art Of Twilight (Cosmic Eye)
Toxic Shock - Daily Demons (Reflections Records)
Wo Fat/Egypt - Cyclopean Riffs (Totem Cat Records)

~

Dreaming Of Deserts...

Tumbleweed Dealer - Self Titled (2013)

Tumbleweed Dealer are a fine example of not having to be surrounded by sand and cactus to create a true desert rock tone. Being from Montreal, I suspect they've never actually seen sand (Canada's like 90% snow and ice right?)... Anyway, they proved this once with their first EP Death Rides Southwards last year, and now the duo are back with their first full length album.
Straight from the get go you can hear how the guys have progressed since the EP. Having cultivated their own style of instrumental stoner post blues, this time around they've upped their game and given the whole effort more... body? Everything feels fuller and more layered. Where before they sounded like a duo, now they have taken on ambiance of a full quartet. Post rock harmonics meet the unique desert/southern rock twang more associated with bands from the likes of Tennessee or the west coast. It's like God Speed You Black Emperor meets Yawning Man. It's a pretty flawless display of technical ability, as the entire record evokes a certain surreal, slow and impending feel of slightly upbeat melancholy. It twists, turns and meanders through a truly moody post rock affair but just neglects to succumb to that usual familiar post rock tone. It's unorthodox but it actually works surprisingly well, although I imagine it won't be to everyones liking. As the occasional chugging guitar riff does rear its head, it is used more sparsely that I think most would wish. Which is really a shame because through those few heavy glimmers of thunder the guys do prove that they can really nail a good heavy groove. But who am I to tell them what direction to head in? If you like your bluesy post rock and anything remotely desert rock then I think Tumbleweed Dealer may just tick some of your boxes. Roll up some of the green or throw back a mushroom or two and loose yourself, because this would serve as a fantastic soundtrack.
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Yawning Man, 1000mods, Sungrazer, Palm Desert, Tuber

Facebook • LastFM • SoundCloud • Bandcamp 

Tumbleweed Dealer (320kbps)

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Once You Go Black...

Lilium - Black, Dear (2013)

Italian metal outfit Lilium is wasting little time making a name for themselves as their debut album (dropping Saturday in Europe) is a heavy-hitting affair that leaves a lasting impression on the listener. While at first appearing to stick to the heavier tones and 'chug-uh-lug' guitar structures that have crafted the post-metal scene in recent years, Lilium has mastered a transformation in their music that adds layers of clean but aggressive vocals backed by strong instrumentation all the way around. While perceived as one of the more developed Italian metal bands, Lilium has a familiar sound that speaks to metal fans not only in their home country, but across the globe. That is to say that Lilium is no cookie-cutter set of artists riding the coat-tails of those who have tread the metal path in the past, but a highly-volatile entity that not only slams through your speakers and headphones but also serves as a beacon of where technical and well-written metal will be heading in the future.

Where Lilium really stands out is the subtle ethereal sound incorporated in many of the album's tracks, including "Solitude," a remarkably heavy song with almost eerie guitars and opera-esque keyboards layered throughout. Finding a perfect medium, Lilium pulls off this musical aspect without overdoing it time and again (i.e., Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth). Luckliy, Lilium also pulls no gimmicks when it comes to what they do, which is another breath of fresh air that should earn the band respect amongst its peers.

For those readers who may have the opportunity, Lilium will celebrate the release of Black, Dear this Saturday, May 18 with a live performance at Lab Burrida in Genova (Italy). More info on the show can be found here.

~Joe

For Fans Of: Isis, Pelican, Lento, Celeste, Omega Massif

Facebook • SoundCloud • YouTube • Bandcamp

Black, Dear (320 kbps)

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Diving Deep Into A Shallow Grave...

Shallow Grave - Self Titled (2013)

Oh, the internet, what a marvelous thing. It's brought us videos of unspeakable things, updates on people's lives you don't even care about in the slightest, duckfaces, and good music from the other side of the globe. And so has Shallow Grave come upon me. Which, to be clear, fall upon the latter category. Now ofcourse you're all thinking: 'Ruben, you make the internet seem like so dark, are you gonna present us with a nice little band to make it more of a happy place?' Well, I'm not, because when confronted with Shallow Grave it practically comes down to picking a poison: you either listen to it and get crushed by a heaviness even Atlas would be scared of, or you don't listen to it and it's members come over and kick your face in. 

Now, when you listen to Shallow Grave you'll notice the music is exactly as the name suggests: it's no-nonsense psychedelic stoner metal doom drone. When I gave it my first listen I was a little judgemental about it's sound being so fitting for stoner doom drone, but as the record progressed I realised that the sound covers the genre (seriously, someone come up with a better name for this amalgamation) so perfectly it's something that it's truly soomething I've never heard before. It intrigues me. All genre talk aside though, Shallow Grave's Shallow Grave embodies a depth and complexity (oh, the irony) you wouldn't expect from a band formed as recently as 2009. The band plays so tight together it can hardly believe this is a debut album. The songs are very well layered, leaving you something to discover throughout multiple listens. A lot of listens, because it deserves it, and as usual for a modest price, this time for only 5NZD (and no, I don't know exactly how much that is, but it isn't a lot that I can tell), and there's a CD available too, just check their bandcamp.

~Ruben

For Fans Of; Electric Wizard, Earth, Sunn O))), Sleep, Zoroaster

Facebook • Bandcamp

Shallow Grave (256kbps)

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News...

Well last weekend was a little... eventful to say the least.

Friday was spent in an Amsterdam hotel room in a psychotic, hysterical, laughing stupur, caused by 30g of the strongest psychedelic truffles money could by. If you're at all interested, the playlist running on my iPad throughout this whole event worked a treat and went as such:

Mountain Witch ~ Severance • Wo Fat ~ Psychedelonaut • All Them Witches ~ Heavy Like A Witch • Mars Red Sky ~ Strong Reflection • Electric Wizard ~ Vinium Sabbathi • Focus ~ Hocus Pocus • Kamni ~ Bong Of Satan • Clutch ~ Supergrass • Sleep ~ Druid • Moon Curse ~ Black Elk • Leaf Hound ~ Freelance Fiend • White Hills ~ Oceans Of Sound • Salem's Pot ~ Run The Night  • Uncle Acid ~ Over & Over Again • Aver ~ Acid Rain • Beast ~ Kevin Waldie • Jerry Reed ~ When You're Hot You're Hot • Owl ~ Demon Ride • Windhand ~ Summon The Moon • Jimi Hendrix ~ Voodoo Child • Mountain Goat ~ Smoke Filled Land • Ufesas ~ The Destroyer

New Vinyl Releases -

Apeskull - Self Titled (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Blaak Heat Shujaa - The Edge Of An Era (Tee Pee Records)
Bongripper/Conan - Split EP (Holy Roar Records)

Colour Haze - She Said (Elektrohasch Records)
High Priest Of Saturn - Self Titled (Svart)

Kadavar - Abra Kadavar (Nuclear Blast)

Karma To Burn - Self Titled EP (Heavy Psych Sounds)

Mamot - Passing Through The Mastery Door (Bilocation Records)

Naam - Kingdom EP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Naam - The Ballad Of The Starchild (Tee Pee Records)
Orchid - Mouths Of The Madness (Nuclear Blast)
Pet The Preacher - Papa Zen & Meet The Creature (Bilocation Records)
Salem's Pot - Watch Me Kill You (Easyrider Records)
Stoned Jesus - First Communion (Nasoni)
Toner Low - III (Bilocation Records)
The Wall - Self Titled (This Charming Man)

~

Pre-orders/Upcoming Vinyl Releases -

Across Tundras/Lark's Tongue - Split LP (Cavity Records)
ASG - Blood Drive (Relapse)
Coffins - The Fleshland (Relapse)
Converge - Caring & Killing (Reissue) (Hydra Head)
Discordance Axis - Jou Hou (Reissue) (Hydra Head)
Ghost - Infestissumam (Universal)

Mars Red Sky - Be My Guide EP (Self Released)

Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork 
Sleep - Dopesmoker (Reissue) (Southern Lord)
Spelljammer - Vol. II (STB Records)
Sunwølf II - Midnight Moon (Speedowax)

Temple Of The Smoke - The Lost Art Of Twilight (Cosmic Eye)

~

The Salem Weed Trails...

Salem's Pot - Watch Me Kill You (2013)

What's dirty, heavy and practically free?... Nope, not your mom. I'll just tell you, Salem's Pot, thats who. 

I really wanted to bring you these guys a little sooner, but I also wanted to have the vinyl in my hands as I did so, but thanks to our postal service and their willingness to drag it through customs and then slap me with an £19 ($30) import bill, it got somewhat delayed. Sorry. Actually, no, no I'm not, bollocks to you all. You wanna blame someone, blame the pricks at Parcelforce.
Anyway, I digress. I found these guys much in the same way I actually stumbled upon the awesome Moon Curse, through Instagram of all places. Having landed on the profile of a small west coast record label that goes by the name Easy Rider Records, I delved a little deeper and discovered a cracking little treasure trove of limited pressed vinyl, short runs and rarities. It goes without saying, I franticly began clicking away and adding things to the sites cart, then blitzed through the checkout. Amongst my first clicks was a couple of the preorders for Watch Me Kill You. Now if you've got half a brain in your nut, you can probably roughly deduce Salem's Pot's sound just from their artwork. Dark, heavy, doomy and fuzzy right? Well, spot on. Like a slower, sludgier version of Electric Wizard tuned so low that they could loosen the bowels of Satan himself. In fact if you ever heard Electric Wizard's Supercoven EP, just imagine that slowed down and played through a haze of bong smoke... Ta dah! That's the sort of treat you're in for here. There's only two tracks running for a total of about 25 minutes but every moment is fully laden with relentless waves of crushing and fuzzy riffs, drum beats and tales of the occult and torture. Interspersed with Knate's occasional whaling guitar solo's and healthy doses of feedback, the whole effect coupled with Skoog's deeply haunting vocal interludes goes on to paint one hell of a dark and twisted audible picture. It's like a Hammer House Of Horror psychotic death trip through the mind of Aleister Crowley. Dark, groovy and to the uninitiated fantastically creepy... I love it!
Which actually explains why I picked up a couple of copies of the thing on wax and a tshirt, which you should too! So dig out your wallet and act fast, because the die hard version ( /30) and super diehard test presses ( /25) have now flown off the shelves and I will bet my bollocks that the purple wax ( /75) and the black ( /150) are not too far behind. Head over to Easy Rider Records right now! You'll be supporting a great band and an awesome little record label. Besides, just look what you're missing out on if you don't...

~ Jay

For Fans Of; Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, Windhand, Mountain Witch, Moon Curse, Black Land

Facebook • LastFM • Bandcamp

Watch Me Kill You (320kbps) • Sweeden (320kbps)

~

Meltdown City...

Mayak - Self-Titled EP (2013)

Remember going to dive bar metal and punk shows when you were in high school? There would always be that one band opening that you had probably never heard of that always stood out above the rest. Maybe it was the effort they were putting into the show; maybe it was the fact that they had never played your town and were making damn sure you didn’t forget their name. Now, I’m not saying no one has never heard of Mayak, but I definitely got that same feeling from those club show days when I gave their debut EP a listen this week.

Mixing elements of punk, sludge, black metal and hardcore, Germany’s Mayak quickly proves they can hang with the fastest and loudest of them all, but soon show their range by adding in brief moments of clean vocals and well-conceived breakdowns that don’t wear out their welcome. Where one track may begin in the vain of symphonic metal legends Cradle of Filth, it rapidly dissipates and bursts back into a blast beat treasure trove that then evolves into a mish-mash of punk drums and dirty guitars. On the track “Another Day Will Rise,” Mayak is masterful in making the track sound like the beginning of something like a lost Ramones song, but soon jump into gravelly screams and gang vocals that are the farthest thing away from old-school punk. Planning a full-length release later in the year, Mayak is sure to make some lasting impressions on those lucky enough to check them out. In the meantime, the  EP is available via the band's Bandcamp with a “name-your-own-price” option.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Kvelertak, At The Gates, Today Is The Day, Gojira, Cancer Bats,

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Mayak (297 kbps)

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Tres Desperados...

Stonefront - Ride Beyond (2013)

The sun's breaking through to us again, finally, so Ride Beyond from sunny México's Stonefront might be an appropriate listen today. That's probably the only comparison to anything sunny I can make here though, as the album contains dark, raw, shred-your-face-off stoner 'n' roll. Something like that. It's definitely dirty and mean but also contains high levels of catchiness. It reminds me of The Atomic Bitchwax' Spit Blood EP, though not really similar in sound, it contains the same kinda raw grooves. And also of beer, and now I find out that over at their Facebook page beer's their only band interest, and Goofy plays the bass guitar. I love these guys!
It's not all fun and games with energetic songs about death though, the album also contains a couple of ballads (mostly about death). I do find them a bit of a weak point in this album though, not because they're bad, not at all, but because Stonefront excell at delivering the catchy heavy energy! So now I'll give the record another spin (or maybe calculations would be a better term, because it's digital) and even if your ears are Crushed Beyond Repair (hint: it's my favorite song) I'd encourage you to do the same, it's great.
And also free!
~ Ruben

For Fans Of; Red Fang, Naam, Planet Of Zeus, Viking Skull, Buffalo

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Ride Beyond (320kbps) • Delivering (320kbps) • Weapon Of Choice (320kbps)

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R.I.P....

DeepSeaGreen - The Sunken Tea Party (2013)

Earlier this week my brother send me a short yet crippling text - 'deepseagreen have split'. He doesn't tend to sugar coat things as you may have noticed. But a glimmer of hope did reside in the fact that he often gets things wrong. Once, when I was younger I came home one evening to be greeted with "Buster Rhymes has just died". As it transpired he actually meant Buster Merryfield, who is not a middle aged, black American rapper, but an elderly grey bearded, white English actor in his late seventies. Easily confused I know. Nonetheless, that was nigh on 15 years ago and I suspected his information held some validity this time around. This bummed me out for the rest of the day as DeepSeaGreen, although not exactly a house hold name, were brilliant. Anyone who ever caught them live or picked up their last release Valsorda will surely testify to this. Recounting a bygone era in their own unique stoner tone, the guys were true wizards when it came to revitalising an old school sound. Tunes that could easily be passed off as being 30 or 40 years old, also managed to boast a breath of fresh air. Whether it be through a sudden wahwah laden lead break or slow harmonic wind down they always seemed to give it 110%, on stage or within the studio alike. There was never any filler, or questionable pauses in quality, and thankfully the same can be said about their swan song, The Sunken Tea Party. Predominately more sombre than previously works, it does feel like theres a dark cloud hanging over the entire recording. Almost as though the guys knew like the end was drawing in, while laying it down in the studio. Not that that should be misconstrued as an adverse effect on the actual quality of the material, oh no. If anything, the overall feel and craftsmanship of the album is by far the best they've ever produced. They may well have scaled back the upbeat tempo somewhat, compared to previous tracks like Nowhere To Hide or Over Song at least, but this time around it feels like a whole lot more painstaking attention has been paid to the recording, production and mixing. I know that sounds like a completely backhanded compliment, but it's really not meant to. What I'm trying to get across is how everything feels exponentially more layered now. Even within the slower break downs of the tracks where there's nothing more than the lead and drums, you're made to feel like there's more going on than there actually is. It sounds kinda petty I know, but if you can get your head around that and how the guys manage to keep you transfixed while effectively little is happening within the song then it should go some way to explain just how tight and captivating the rest of the album is. Fear not, they by no means drew any kind of curtain on the use of their expert riffage. Just jump 2 minutes into Electrify or the final minute of Lay It On Me and you'll receive a big enough dose of fuzzy licks to keep your foot tapping into next week.
It really sucks that we've lost such a great band, but if you're gonna go out, go out on a high, and thats exactly what they've done. Besides, I can't help but feel that whatever projects the guys end up splintering off to will be enthused with a similar quality. I think we can all take away a little solace from that.
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Graveyard, The Heavy Eyes, Sir Lord Baltimore, Astra, Black Cowgirl

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The Sunken Tea Party (Sample) (320kbps)

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Goin' Ape...

Ape Machine - Mangled by the Machine (2013)

Ape Machine have got a lot of praise for blending stoner rock, classic sounding rock and blues with catchy grooves. Their new album Mangled by the Machine doesn't fail to live up that expectation! The first song, Gun you down, sets a perfect vibe, and lets you know what you can expect from this band. Blistering guitar riffs and solo, complex rhythms and grooves, and energetic vocals seem to be the order of the day. The next few songs continue this epic sound, with the guitar almost the prominent feature. the guitar riffs and melodies stay strong, with songs such as Angry man almost sounding like one huge, epic solo. After listening to 4 or 5 songs, i can already imagine listening to these songs being performed live. Great dynamics, grooves, and most importantly; great playing from all members of the band! This album almost reminds me of Led Zeppelin, in the sense that every member has their own spotlight and time in each song. loose but tight is an appropriate phrase for Mangled by the Machine. Ruling with intent has a beefy sounding blues feel. slow, soulful, and some organ work for good measure. this one is a personal favourite for me. The production and sound is top notch. beefy, full, thick and generally kick ass! Overall, this is a great album, and it's good to see new bands with new things to bring to the table. If i have any bad things to say, I would like to hear one or two slower songs, maybe even an acoustic. If you're looking for a new sludge blues, energetic, stoner, classic sounding band, you've come to the right place. These guys are only going to get bigger and better, so check 'em out while they are still a small cult band!
Keep and eye out on Ripple Music's Bandcamp page and their website for more up coming great releases and limited vinyl.
~ Conor

For Fans Of; Graveyard, All Them Witches, Cactus, Naam, Dust Storm Warning

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Mangled By The Machine

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Get Nailed...

NAILS - Abandon All LIfe (2013)

After you’re done reeling from the 26-minute ass kicking that is NAILS’ latest offering, you’ll wonder how much more pissed off a band can get. Personally, I feel the world may end if any more apathy and brutality can be brought forth by the southern Californians in audio format. Spitting all over the religious antiquities and social mores that have presumably ruined the greater aspects of life in general, NAILS seems to finally be telling listeners that it’s going to get worse before it gets better. With each track ripping through in a matter of seconds (give or take a few), lead singer/guitarist Todd Jones (ex-Terror) frantically and maniacally howls his way through each explosion of a song, his vocals often cracking and screeching to an extreme pitch that would lead one to believe he may be murdered in a matter of moments. Although the album has its toned down moments (with really admirable guitar and drum work), NAILS has delivered an album that not only channels the aggravation and disappointment of a generation constantly under the pressure of compromised government structures and greed, but one that, musically, sets the band apart from many others in the metal scene. Call it grind, call it thrash. In the end, it’s pure audio homicide. Unforgiving, spastic, insane and frightening. If you fancy a listen on wax, that can be snagged from Southern Lord here.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Cursed, The Hope Conspiracy, Rise and Fall, Pulling Teeth

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Abandon All Life (320kbps)

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