Holy Mother!...

Mother Engine ~ Muttermaschine (2013)

Kyuss would never really have got anywhere without Garcia. Well, take anyone of those key three away, Homme, Bjork or Garcia and the outfit would have crumbled.  Just listen to ...And The Circus Leave Town, a great record sure! But minus Brant, and it just didn't quite make par with the previous three. Each guy brought something different to the table, something unique. Altogether they just gelled, so perfectly. You may be wondering why I'm banging on about Kyuss, well, imagine them without any vocal... There, you pretty much have Mother Engine. Sure, that was a bit of an arse about face way of getting to my point but I've listened to this album so much this week and it's honestly the best comparison. A pretty damn good one too if you ask me! There's a few more influences that shine through, but the real bedrock for Muttermaschine is that Palm Desert vibe, and it resonates through every track. Which doe's strike you as a little strange being as these fellas come from bloody Germany. Still, you can't knock a winning formula and especially this amazing little concoction. Entirely instrumental, it manages to suck you in and hold you with a truly epic display of tightness and blistering array of licks. If you've ever sat there stoned out of your tree and air guitared (or drummed) along to the whole of Welcome To Sky Valley then this album will be the best 6 bucks you'll spend this year. It's without a doubt one of, if not the best instrumental desert rock album I've ever picked up. I've  always stated that any instrumental album that can hold you for more than 30 mins without longing for even just a touch of vocals, has hit the nail on the head, and I stick firmly by that notion now, because not a second passes when you thing to yourself that this record is missing anything at all. It draws you with with desert rock riffs and keeps you held in with Pelican like execution. Structurally, I've tried to pick it apart and find flaws, but dammit I cant! There just doesn't seem to be a week link in the whole nigh on 50 minute runtime. The ambient and harmonic slower moments drip with a certain essence usually reserved for the more seasoned artists, and that keeps you more that hooked. But then they hit you with a sonic assault that carefully treads the boundaries of 90's desert, southern and classic psych rock, and that all serves to whip everything up into an awe inspiring frenzy. Regardless of your own little personal preferences, if you've got a fucking brain in your nut they you should sure as hell enjoy this... Failing that, you may wanna consult some kind of medical professional.
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Kyuss, Yawning Man, Pelican, Tigre, Windmills In The Ocean

Facebook • Bandcamp

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News...

Easy Rider Records unveiled the artwork to their fore coming Sons Of Huns release...

Due out on November 19th, more details will follow re the pressing soon...


Future Easy Rider Vinyl Releases... 

Albino Python ~ The Doomed & The Damned (Now)

Suns Of Huns ~ Banishment Ritual (Nov 19th)

Red Desert ~ Damned By Fate (TBA)

If you missed STB Records long awaited beautiful glow in the dark press of Doctor Doom then you sure did fuck up, because they're all gone. But fear not, if you act fast you can still get your mitts on one of the standard presses.

Want it? Course' you do! Well get your ass on over to STB's Store and part with some pennies!

Future STB Vinyl Releases...

Brimstone Coven ~ Self Titled (TBA)

Drug Lord ~ TBA

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Site News -

If you didn't catch it last week our compilations on Bandcamp!
They're up for 'name your price', but any and all proceeds will go towards paying for the site upkeep (including bloody Bandcamp itself) so we can keep bring you stuff for free and don't get slapped with any restrictions.
Everyone who actually pays for the cd will automatically go into the draw to with a ton of stuff at the end of the year!... 
Here's what all the prizes are looking like at the moment...

 All you have to do is head on over to our Bandcamp page and buy one or more of our cd downloads! It's that simple!

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New Vinyl Releases -

Abe Diddy & The Kraut Boys ~ Follow (Kozmik Artifactz)
All Them Witches/The Heavy Eyes ~ Split 7" (Self Release)
Bite The Bullet ~ Self Titled (Kozmik Artifactz)
Black Prism ~ Satan's Country (Easy Rider Records)
Black Rainbows ~ Holy Moon (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Black Tusk ~ Tend No Wounds (Relapse)
Bongzilla ~ Methods of Attaining Extreme Altitudes (Hydro-Phonic Records)
Carcass ~ Surgical Steel (Nuclear Blast Records)
Dopelord ~ Magik Rites (Self Released, Email for enquiries)
From Beyond ~ One Year (Totem Cat Records)
The Great Khan ~ Rise Of The Khan (Kozmik Artifactz)

Pelican ~ Forever Becoming (Southern Lord)
Salem's Pot ~ Watch Me Kill You (Reissue) (Easy Rider Records)

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats ~ Mind Crawler 7" (Rise Above)
Vista Chino ~ Peace (Napalm Records)
Windhand ~ Soma (Relapse)
Witchcraft ~ Legend (Nuclear Blast)

New Pre-orders/Upcoming Releases -

Botch ~ We Are The Romans (Reissue) (Hydrahead Records)
Coffins ~ The Fleshland (Relapse)
Daughters ~ Daughters (Hydrahead Records)
Evile ~ Skull (Earache)
Head In The Dirt ~ The Blind Hole (Southern Lord)
High On Fire ~ Spitting Fire Live,Vol. 1 (Relapse)
Lento / Tons ~ Split LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Monkey3 ~ The 5th Sun (Napalm Records)
Monkey3 ~ Undercover (Napalm Records)
Monomyth ~ Self Titled (Burning World Records)
Monster Magnet ~ Last Patrol (Napalm Records)
Red Fang ~ Whales & Leeches (Relapse)
Steak ~ Disastronaught (Napalm Records)
Steak ~ Corned Beef Colossus (Napalm Records)

Zodiac ~ A Hiding Place (Napalm Records)

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Video Of The Week -

Fuzz ~ Loose Sutures

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Astral Assault From Poland...

Shots From Deneb - Self-Titled (2013)

It's not often you find the perfect blend of space rock and speed metal, but, luckily, Poland's Shots From Deneb have come through and churned out a killer album that flawlessly blends the two sounds. Hitting your eardrums like a Mack Truck full of dynamite, Shots From Deneb unleash an energy in every song that is genuine and pure, not a cookie-cutter production that simply follows in the tracks of metal greatness. At times sounding both old and new school, the band focuses on differentiating between guitar pitches and drumming speeds, creating an album that lands somewhere between Metallica and the Black Dahlia Murder. It's an interesting listen on many levels, and, with few flaws in their writing, a record that demands to be listened to over and over.

Starting off a little sluggish, the album soon finds footing on the third track, "Six Shots From Deneb," an airy, tough song that sees some of the album's best peddle effects and tempo shifts. Crushing bass picks up the back end and drives it home in moments that woul otherwise fall somewhat flat.

"War Never Changes," an Amon Amarth-esque shredder, is perhaps the most solid and well-composed track, highlighting every instrument at a given point and letting the band showcase their talents one at a time. The song also contains arguably the best vocals on the record, which sometime hit a little gravelly to the point of indecipherability.

A couple of longer tracks "To The Relic" and "...The Cargo Arrives" round out the effort, focusing heavily on chord play and string manipulation, much of which is rather bad ass. It is in these last songs that the band also brings out there their obvious affinity for desert rock, presenting repeated chord structures and fuzz so distorted it would blow the mind of any seasoned desert dweller.

A notable effort that missed our radar since its release in April, Shots From Deneb is easily one of the best sounding and musically intriguing bands that have found their way to us in 2013. Check it out for yourself and pray that more from the group heads our way soon.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Machine Head, Gojira, Meshuggah, Kataklysm

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Shots From Deneb (name your price)

Magic Manc's...

Ten Foot Wizard ~ Return To The Infinite (2013)

You've gotta appreciate it when someone really goes the extra mile and puts the effort into album artwork. Especially when the end result looks like a collage by Zooey Deschanel representing a bad acid trip through the mind of Ted Nugent. Sure, you can look at this cover and instantly think, "Ah, it's gonna be all psych..." and you'd be excused for that. But in reality, thats pretty far from the mark. In fact, what these four Manc's are offering up boarders more on modern dirty southern rock than anything else. Actually, modern southern rock and the nice occasional layer of good ol' classic hard rock slapped on the top. Not so much a mash of the two, but actually full on layered. While the drums and bass are chugging out a fat wall of either early Metallica like thunder or Fu Manchu furiously, the guitars dip in to the 70's an pull out some whaling ZZ Top esque licks. I've never quite heard this sort of approach before, its usually all or nothing with bands. But the consciously or not Wizard have seemed to try something a little different here by giving us both barrels at the same time. They've even mixed it all up with the tempo. Right from the get go, the album roars out of the gates in an upbeat fashion, but as it progresses the gloomy clouds seem to loom in and things seem to get a little dark in places. Not full on doom, just a touch sludgy... kinda like abruptly switching from Clutch to Down. It's not jarring but it does kinda of blindside you a bit. It's all just so unexpected, after you've been tapping your foot along or possibly air drumming (don't judge me) it's just not what you'd expect. But hey, fuck it, they've got it to work so why the hell not! If nothing else, it just proves these guys can turn their hand to a whole lot more than they initially let on to. I can't wait to hear more from the Wizard, they show buckets full of promise and they sure as hell aint lacking in the talent department. Listen to this album from start to finish and try and tell me these chaps aint going places... I've got a feeling their own brand of hi octane dirty rock n' roll is gonna turn a few heads before too long...
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Planet Of Zeus, Orange Goblin, Down, Thunderfist, He Is Legend

Facebook • BigCartel • Bandcamp

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When They Fly, Someone Dies...

Potergeist - Swampires (2013)

Alright, kids, we got a new, self-proclaimed genre for you...Swamp Metal. Not even I am sure of what that means, but let's give it a shot.

Hailing from Athens, Greece, Potergeist consists of five tough-looking dudes who know how to churn out the classic rock sound. On Swampires, the band's third major release, the majority of the tracks hit heavy with a clean sound promoting crisp chords and polished drumming. Vocals are a highlight, standing as tall as well-known voices like Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage) and Phil Anselmo (Down). Keep in mind, this is a well-produced album that sounds like it's had a lot of work put behind it, but the end product speaks volumes as Potergeist creates an "arena rock" vibe for the 21st century.

Opening track "Swampire" explodes with chugging riffs that, at first, caused a little concern as the track could have easily followed a breakdown-by-numbers formula that would make the track cookie-cutter and boring, but the song soon switches into a hyper mode of dirty southern rock and raspy screams. While some tried-and-true metal cliches are present here, Potergeist keeps the energy fun and engaging. Well-timed solos and drum breaks help stave off monotony for the most part, but, to be fair, some of the guitar work drifts into familiar and safe territory from time to time, making it hard to differeniaite between certain tracks.

The biggest standout on the album by far is "Southern Crown," a slow burner full of cymbal rides and strong vocal work that catch the ear early on. While the remainder of Swampires never really seems to jump into the same spirit as "Southern Crown," it makes the song that much more effective as an early sampling. The track also features prominent backing vocals, a talent I feel the band should explore and play with more given their "big" sound.

Obviously the band has found their stride as strong support, having opened for such bands as Monster Magnet and The Haunted, but, with enough time and exposure to the masses, Potergeist could quickly become a force all its own.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Superjoint Ritual, Trivium, Strapping Young Lad, Ihsahn

Website • Facebook • MySpace • SoundCloud

Dutch Desert Dopesmokers...

Stonerfront Nijmegen ~ 3​-​Days​-​Desert (2013)

Do you ever sit back and wonder what it would sound like if Karma to Burn had ever 'found the funk', as it were?...

No? Well, no me neither actually, but then the Netherlands very own Stonerfront Nijmegen turned up in my inbox and it's all I've been wondering since. I'm not talking full on afro's, stacked heels, Bootsy Collins sorta funk. More Woodstock era, psychedelic funk... through a haze of bong smoke. Not that that was Woodstock was missing, but, ah, you know what I mean. Stoner funk for the modern era. Well, this Dutch trio have got everything you could possibly want and a few more tricks up their sleeve to boot. Wholly instrumental, 3​-​Days​-​Desert takes you through a dusty journey, casually stopping by at Psych-Ville, Stoner Central and... er... Desert Rock. Yeah that metaphor kinda trailed out a bit, I know. But it honestly is one hell of a satisfying trip, and one well worthy of sitting back and enjoying with a good pinch of the green stuff. From it's fast paced riff heavy opening it really grabs you by neck and makes you sit up and take notice. From then on, the next 20 minutes don't fail to loosen their hold. Flowing seamlessly and meandering in and out of classic psych and modern desert rock, the guys manage to not just grab your attention but easily keep it satisfied for the whole LP, and thats not bloody an easy when it comes to something thats entirely instrumental. But thats just it, at no point do you find yourself expecting or longing for a vocal over the top. It all plays out like a mind blowing acid trip in the middle of the Palm Desert. If I was to ingest a biblical amount of Peyote and just wonder out into the sun baked baron wastelands of California, I can fully imagine this would be my accompanying soundtrack. Sure, at just 20 mins in length I'd have to stick it on repeat a few times, but even after a good 5 plays here and now, it still feels great. Even with the lack of vocals, you just don't miss them, and that speaks volumes for the bands chemistry and ear for production. The warm tone and the liberal use of both wah and ambience inducing bass riffs work wonders and lets face it, there's really only one way you should be doing it all justice... Thats right, listening to it on vinyl! We'll fear not, they've got it covered and all it will set you back is a measly €12! What a bloody bargain! Head on over to Fuzzmatazz Records and give yourself a treat, you've deserved it!
~ Jay 

For Fans Of; Karma To Burn, Serpent Throne, Nebula, Yawning Man, Sonic Flower

Facebook • Bandcamp

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The Mammoths Are Coming, The Mammoths Are Coming...

Tunguska Mammoth - Self-titled (2013)

Canada may be a neutral country when it comes to global violence, but their metal bands have some neat ideas about mammoths unmercifully destroying all of humanity. That's right, this latest metal opus to land at our door contains 10 crushing, thrashing, shredding tracks that all revolve around a global assault by giant mammoths, leaving the planet virtually void of mankind. The question many of you are probably asking already at this point is whether or not such an epic concept can actually transfer into a solid musical product. Fortunately, Tunguska Mammoth eases all concerns by taking a crazy idea and giving it a fitting soundtrack that could easily surround battlegrounds full of tanks, slews of soldiers and bloodied, crazed mammoths.

Starting off hard and heavy, Tunguska Mammoth rip into a set of chug-a-lug guitars and hard-as-nails vocals that quickly help the listener realize they are in for one hell of a trip. The band possesses a confident sound that is comparable to many major metal acts signed to major labels, but what sets the group apart is the playfulness they put into their musical ideas. While bands like 3 Inches Of Blood and Valient Thorr have explored these "epic" scenarios before, Tunguska Mammoth spends a little less time striving for the high notes and plethora of solos and, instead, just play as fast they can with as much power as any band I've ever heard.

The deeper into the album the listener gets, more and more influences become apparent, namely new school hardcore. Breaks and tempo shifts often remind of Hatebreed, In Flames and (to a lesser extent) breakdown junkies Terror. Note that these influenced sounds merely guide the band's music as opposed to serving as a blueprint. Where the group has mastered a rough-and-tough rhythm for the majority of their work, they also display fantastic moments of musical exploration that could stand up against masters of the genre today.

Rounding out the album with as much ferocity as they started with, Tunguska Mammoth don't hold back, even journeying into tech metal territory led by blistering drums and slide note duels. Painting a final picture of a world destroyed and ruled by animals once again, the band leave little unexplored (conceptually and audibly). A nice change of pace from the standard hum-drum concept albums that are often misunderstood (or just don't make any fucking sense to begin with), Tunguska Mammoth's self-titled work is the crazy, fun metal record that 2013 has been waiting for. So strap in and listen to what the world sounds like trampled under hairy beasts.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Nile, Mastodon, High On Fire, Bongzilla

Facebook • Bandcamp

Tunguska Mammoth ($5 CAD)

"Parabellum"

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Last Of The Summer Weed...

Regulus ~ The End (2013)

To be entirely honest, it's got progressively more difficult for us to bring you bands that we actually stumble upon ourselves. We get more emails a week than we can possibly deal with at present because of all you talented bastards out there, and we don't like putting more than one band up a day because it will inevitably result in the one getting eclipsed by the other. So with that public service announcement over, I really should begin by thanking @ElectricSabbath on Instagram for giving me the heads up on these chaps! I assured her that I'd get to them this week, and dammit I'm a man of my word! Besides, it makes it a whole lot easier when they're homegrown and pretty damn good to boot.
It's not really the sound you expect from Yorkshire, though saying that, the UK's a small island and to be fair we have produced some pretty great music from every corner. With the exception of maybe Wales. Budgie, Tom Jones and Stereophonics are ok, but lets face it, as a country they're not really pulling their weight when it comes musical wonders. But for all of you outside of the UK, this is Yorkshire. It's kind of like God's waiting room, but for all the ones who couldn't quite afford to move down south to the coast. It's the largest county in England and is predominantly fuelled by tea and a unwavering love of cricket. Either way, you'd seldom expect for it to be home of these guys.
Rocking a great lo-fi kind of southern rock sound Regulus sound like a bit of a cross between early Nebula and Church Of Misery. All that unrelenting fuzz, distortion and bursts of speed of say, Second Coming, smashing head long into the chugging groove and fun of Let It Burn, makes for one hell of a fusion once the dust and smoke clears. Smoke being the operative word too, because the real roots of these guys really do lie in stoner side of things. Listen carefully and you'll hear elements of Sleep, Weedeater and Saint Vitus shine through loud and clear. Well, maybe not clear, but certainly loud, and just shy of being dragged through the sludge. It's good be reaffirmed that our stoner rock/metal/doom scene is going from strength to strength. I really cant wait to see what else these guys have got up their sleeve...
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Orange Goblin, Truckfighters, Lo-Pan, Miss Lava, Snake Thursday

Facebook • Bandcamp

The End (256kbps)

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Burn, Baby, Burn...

Black Seal - Pyre (2013)

America's "Dirty South" has brought us Florida's Black seal this week, a psych rock/stoner trio blending a variety of sounds that winds up dark and groovy. Incorporating stylings from punk, early metal and good old-fashioned rock n' roll, Black Seal are more apt to let their creative arrangements handle the bulk of what is found on Pyre, which ultimately makes for a cohesive record chock full of riffs that seem to nod to a variety of musical generations.

Think of Black Seal as the type of band you put on when it's time to settle up to the bar, have a whiskey or three and then look for some trouble. The gritty and raw sounds of off-tuned guitar and humming bass setting the pace of your heartbeat and throbbing inside your head. A soundtrack asking for trouble and knowing full well it will be worth it in the end.

Boasting only five tracks, Pyre kicks off with a fuzzy array of slow sounds that soon erupt into an instrumental powerhouse channeling a strong blues/70's rock rhythm that perfectly sets up the rest of the record's slow-then-fast-then-really-fast-then-back-to-slow pace. Moving right into "The Inverted Cathedral," Black Seal awaken with macabre, hushed vocals that soon develop into biting verses with a real sense of toughness behind them. A mover and a shaker of a track, the song finishes strong and leads into perhaps the album's most unique track, "On This Day You Lose Faith," a song full of great chord play and speed changes that really highlight the band's affinity for classic punk. Singer Astaroth Crowley croons through the chorus, resetting the tempo to a near halt, which, in the end, makes the song all that much stronger and atmospheric. Rounding out the record with one more instrumental segue ("The Descent") and closing track "Conestoga Breaks Down," the band finishes strong. Sounding like a Led Zeppelin b-side on steroids, "Conestoga Breaks Down" possesses the album's cleanest and most range-showcasing vocals, varied drumming and mix of musical inspirations that the band has surely idolized growing up.

When it's all said and done, Pyre is a quick and interesting listen that any classic rock fan can relate to. It also possesses enough of an attitude to intrigue those who prefer the heavier side of music. A confident release, Pyre will certainly gain traction and begin popping up on a lot of radars. To help speed that process along, we at Ride With The Devil would like to offer you a free download of "Conestoga Breaks Down." Crank it up, folks!

~Joe

For Fans Of; Graveyard, Red Fang, OFF!, Big Business

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Pyre ($3 USD)

Calgary Crushers...

Chron Goblin ~ Live For The Living (2013)

I love everything about Canada. Always have. The people, the hockey, scenery. My one and only gripe is that the place is just too bloody cold, and this is coming from a guy who lives in England! But as I was saying, everything about it's great, including these boys. I mean, just look at them...  How could you not love them!? Devin and Brett look like Jesus's heavy metal twin brothers, you can't help but want to pinch Josh's cheek, and Rich... Well Rich actually looks like a guy that tried to mug me once when I was 16, so I'll leave that there. Anyway, I digress, we hit Chron up a back in July and it's killed me to have been sitting on this little gem since. Why keep it from us I hear you ask? We'll because all you bastards are usually stoned out of your minds, telling you anything even just the day before something's released serves very little purpose. I can't blame you, but I do have to coincide some of these updates to their actual release date, and thats why we're here today! Yup, it may well be Friday 13th, but the news ain't all bad, Live For The Living is released today, so before you spark up another fatty, take a moment to peruse the guy's store, and maybe treat yourself to the vinyl for a mere $20! I'm pretty sure thats Canadian dollars too... So that's like practically free right? I really have no idea what's going on with their economy... They're like a larger version of Iceland surely, and Iceland are financially up shit creek at the moment, so... Anyway, I'm getting off track and the international economic crisis is evidently not my forté. Just go and buy it for christ sake, when have I ever let you down!? Sure, you've not heard the thing yet, but trust me on this... You're gonna want to.
So lets get down to brass tacks. If you read our entry back in July here, then you'll have an idea what these fellas are all about. But One Million From The Top was last year, and the Goblin have, for want of a better word, progressed a bit since then. The styles the same, don't panic! The sweet mix of metal, with a twang of southern rock and a 90's punk tone is still there in all its glory. Where the guys have really progressed is in their over all sound a production for this outing. Whoever they got to record and engineer this beauty really knocked it out the goddamn park! They've hit that perfect sweet spot of balancing absolutely everything without destroying the recording with that over produced nasty ass mix. So kudos for that. But naturally, it's the Goblin who ultimately deliver the killing blow here. The tightness, from track to track is second to none. I've no idea of their schedule over the last 12 months or so, but I'd bet my bollocks to a barn dance that they've been touring their asses off, because its only when you spend night after night, stage after stage with the same guys that you can produce something this layered and polished. There's not an producer in the world that can fake that in the studio.
So if you're looking for more furious groove and aggression than you can shake a (hockey) stick at then this will be right up your street! It ebbs and flows, pushing the boundaries of genres to breaking point with is churning mix of classic metal, early skate punk style execution and tactical use of break downs that leave tracks like Give No More and Any Day a harmonic chilled out doom like feel in parts. The most satisfying parts for me are the subtle and beautifully placed little snippets of classic metal that sneak their way in at certain moments, like early childhood flashbacks. Like the 1:37 mark of Control just instantly casts me back to early Metallica. Or the closing of Lonely Prey that shines like Guns'n'Roses in their heyday. Its fantastic, a puzzling mix in places and completely unorthodox at times, but with the shear style and competence that its carried out with you can't help but admire and be engrossed by it. I bloody love it!
~ Jay

For Fans Of; , The Grand Astoria, Winnebago Deal, Revolution Mother, No Fuzz

Website • Facebook • Myspace • LastFM • ReverbNation

Live For The Living (sample)



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Music To Bar Brawl To...

Switchblade Jesus ~ Self Titled (2013)

We've had quite a bizarre and obscure week or so of recent, not that we're not thankful or haven't enjoyed it! But I have to say, it's great to get back to some good old balls to the wall, riff heavy, dirty rock! It's always been the beating heart of this place and always will be. So when Eric dropped me a line this week and I noticed the first line mentioned Switchblade Jesus my instant reaction was "oh fuck yeah!". Why?... Well, for months and months I've been meaning to get on these guys (purely in the journalistic sense I assure you) but with one thing or another and the fact that we give priority to bands that actually contact us, in a first come first served basis, I just haven't had the time or chance to really give them my full attention... Oh, what a dick I've been!
Trust me when I say, it only takes about a 28 seconds to fall in love with Switchblade Jesus, I know. I actually counted. Whats more, I could easily give you a plethora of reasons why: They're like Down, but more fun. They have a pure rock fury to rival that of Clutch, and they're truly music to drink (copious amounts of) beer too... To give you just a few. It's really that simple. It doesn't have to be about bullshit shredding, machine gun style double bass drumming or mindless screeching into the mic. Sure, those elements have their merits in the right place. But sometimes all you need is some killer catchy riffs and a roaring vocal, and goddamn do these guys deliver just that! From start to finish it's full bore dirty southern rock carnage aimed directly at the beer drinkers and hell raisers. It's drips and oozes that quintessential attitude and classic groove thats only really exudes from those southern states, and in typical redneck style it doesn't let up for a second. Needless to say, this is exactly why I love it so much. It completely epitomises that bad ass southern rock style and swagger and instantly conjures up mental images of dusty dives bars, truckers and lot lizards. For me at least. That and a good old fashioned alcohol induced punch ups... Now, I've not been in a awful lot of bar fights. A few, but not a lot. Well, not a ridiculous amount. Ok, it's in double figures, but dont judge me! Anyway, for some reason I can remember pretty much every song playing in the back ground each time. Trivial, maybe, but thats always something thats sort of stuck in the back of my mind: Refused - New Noise, Slayer - Reign In Blood, Soilent Green - Build Fear, Cliff Richard - Devil Woman (don't ask). The point I'm trying to get to is that some time in the future I could quite easily see myself throwing punches to Sick Mouth off this very album. Straight from the opening bars I could envision myself causing absolute carnage to this track. I honestly don't know why this is my initial thought, maybe it's just what the opening riff evokes in my twisted psyche when I hear it, maybe it's because I've been drinking Makers Mark for most of the evening, I dunno. Either way I assure you I mean this entirely as a compliment. Hell, as I write this, it's already racked up 8 plays on my iTunes. In fact the whole album is slowly racking up plays counts and I honestly cant see it stopping any time soon. Well, not until our lovely friends over at Kozmik Artifactz pull the trigger and release the thing on vinyl!
Still, while you wait you really should head on over to the guys Bandcamp page and drop the meer 5 buck asking price for this little gem. It's dirty, its cool, it heavy and its ballsy as hell. It's the sort of album that knocks back one too many whiskeys, pins you against the wall, kicks you in the balls then leaves with your woman. In fact, if Hollywood ever decide to remake the film Road House, I'd strongly suggest they just stick this album over it for the soundtrack.
That would be genius.
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Clutch, Down, Orange Goblin, ASG, Planet Of Zeus

Website • Facebook • LastFM • ReverbNation • BigCartel • Bandcamp

Switchblade Jesus (sample)

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Anarchic Austrians...

Dead End Friends ~ Back Mental (2013)

My punk knowledge is somewhat limited. Some of my earliest musical purchases did consist of Black Flag and Refused, but generally speaking I'm a dunce when it comes to the subject. So with that secured in the back of your mind, here's me view of Austria's very own Dead End Friends.
To be fair, and with some luck on my part, this little quartet aren't strictly punk. Not in the original sense of the word anyway. They're much more. An amalgamation of grunge, punk, garage rock and a touch of hardcore would be more apt. Predominantly grunge in style, but with a punk ethos. Catchy yet strangely disjointed, much like The Pixies. Sorry, just, Pixies. I know how much that grates on those hipster types. None the less, thats where their sounds lies, in that slightly anarchic early 90's tone, and despite not being an avid follower of the genre(s) I must admit, I'm pretty impressed! The EP takes a few minutes to really find its groove, but when it does, it finds it with real panache. Dark and sombre whaling and screams echo and meander through even darker and more sombre riffs coated in reverb, fuzz and feedback. With a pace that switches pretty seamlessly from a post hardcore pace to a pure ambient rock one, you can kind of see my predicament when it comes to slipping these guys in any sort of genre. It's experimental, I'll give them that, but fortunately its not precocious along with it. Something some bands of this ilk often fail to avoid. So needless to say its unique, I'm damned if I can name another band that sound even faintly like them. I've not entirely decided if thats a good thing or not yet, but at the end of the day I'm actually really digging it, and coming from someone not all that committed to this sort of thing usually, thats gotta count for something right?
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Mudhoney, The Breeders

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Back Mental (sample)

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Flapping Those Sludgy Wings...

The Moth - They Fall (2013)

It should be understood by now that when German metal comes across my patch, it's probably going to get a thumbs up from yours truly. Even though I'm pre-disposed to these types of ass-kicking tunes, I must say that The Moth is another great example of what Germany is cranking out in their scene these days. A trio hailing from Hamburg and only playing together since late 2012, The Moth is a no bullshit, hard-rocking outfit that is raw and fierce. Settling for pure string and skins sounds, the band appears to have abandoned effects almost completely and crafted a debut full of crushing songs that is both a testament to smart song writing and skilled musicianship.

From the get go, The Moth impresses with blistering riffs, trippy solos and layered chords in "Won't Return," a track that also promptly displays the dichotomy of the male/female vocal exchange that becomes apparent and highlighted in every track. The transition from deep growls to harmonized croons are nothing necessarily new in metal, but is seldom pulled off so effectively. With neither vocal range hogging the spotlight, The Moth are able to keep the focus on their music, which, in all honesty, is so strong on its own that the band could survive as an instrumental act.

On the track "Open Forrest," the band dives into stoner rock territory, blasting forth with unrelenting chug-a-lug riffs and cymbal-riding drums. Definitely a standout track that could easily serve as a single for the group, "Open Forrest" sounds like an experiment that the band put together to get a feel for what would work best in their song-writing, but the ultimate result was a perfect blend of humming guitar and bass surrounded by smashing drums. Although the rest of the album hits like a ton of bricks, the song still remains my favorite and, I believe, best represents the band as a whole.

As They Fall rounds out on a lot of strong notes, the album still feels split, with the first half serving as a sort of "fast" side and the back half displaying a "slow" sound that leans toward the sludge-esque persona surrounding the band. With such a solid debut getting ready to drop on such a reputable German label (This Charming Man Records), The Moth is bound to explode globally and will (hopefully) find themselves thrashing across the world in 2014.

If you like what you hear from The Moth, They Fall can be purchased from the band's Bandcamp page (see link below), or, if you are a fan of sweet vinyl, can be pre-ordered on white vinyl here.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Kylesa, Baroness, Black Tusk, Truckfighters

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They Fall (€7)

All Krak(ów)ed Up...

 Późne Królestwo ~ Alameda 3 (2013)

When someone comes at me with 'folk' as a genre, I will more often than not spit in their face. If they also happen to be wearing a bobble hat, thick black glasses and an ironic moustache I may also rock them in the balls and beat them with a tire iron. Not to say that I don't like the genre. No, I hate it. That being said, if like here it's prefixed with 'alternative black death metal ambient...' then I will shake you by the hand and request more information. Pozne (or Ponze, as I've been thinking they're called all day) are a bit of a mixed bag if you haven't guessed that already. Oh yeah, I don't know where the keyboard shortcut for the Z with the little thingy above it is, and I cant be doing with pasting it a hundred times. Anyway, I digress. It would be safe to assume Alameda 3 is a bit of an experimental/prog project. It's the epitome of discordant, although it does happily fall shy of be unlistenable, like some of the stuff we occasionally get sent. You can picture the stuff... Hipster shit, which is basically a kind of avant-garde nightmare where it sounds like someone's put a bag full of spanners in a washing machine while TV static plays at full volume in the background... Urgh. Anyway, it does have all the feel and texture of a quite a potent and questionable acid trip, in good ways and bad. Nice catchy riffs poke their heads out every now and again and the ambient moments are truly beautiful. The shere sporadicness of it all may be more than most can handle, but ya know, what ever floats your boat...
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Omega Massif, Grails, Celeste, Samara Blues Experiment, Aun 

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Alameda 3 (Sample)

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News...

Well, if you we snoozing last week you may have just missed Easy Rider Record's release of Black Prism's Satan's Country 7", but fear not, as you may still just be able to get your mitts on a copy if you act fast..

30 x Test Press (Sold Out)
50 x Clear,
75 x Yellow (pre order only),
75 x Purple (Doooomed.com exclusive),
75 x Blood Red (@the_bowrey exclusive),
75 x Green,
75 x Gold,
150 x Black.

Also announced, Albino Python's cracking album The Doomed & The Damned. Originally available on cassette, its now been given the wax treatment. Here's a peek at the test press cover, with amazing artwork by the great David Paul Seymour... This baby is available NOW! So head on over to the store and pick yourself up a copy before they all go!

Future Easy Rider Releases... 

Albino Python ~ The Doomed & The Damned (Now)

Suns Of Huns ~ Banishment Ritual (TBA)

Red Desert ~ Damned By Fate (TBA)

STB Records have some very limited Dopethrone shirts in stock, as well as a new press of their great Gravedigger shirt! Head over to the store and treat yourself!

Future STB releases...

Doctor Doom ~ Self Titled (September)
Brimstone Coven ~ Self Titled (TBA)
Drug Lord ~ TBA

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Site News -

Our artist page is now live! So if you've done, or are looking to do some album design then feel free to drop us a line.  

If you didn't catch it last week our compilations on Bandcamp!
They're up for 'name your price', but any and all proceeds will go towards paying for the site upkeep (including bloody Bandcamp itself) so we can keep bring you stuff for free and don't get slapped with any restrictions.
Everyone who actually pays for the cd will automatically go into the draw to with a ton of stuff at the end of the year! 

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New Vinyl Releases -

Abe Diddy & The Kraut Boys ~ Follow (Kozmik Artifactz)
Acid Witch ~ Witchtanic Hellucinations (Reissue) (Hell's Headbangers)
Black Prism ~ Satan's Country (Easy Rider Records)
Bright Curse ~ Self Titled (Kozmik Artifactz)
Dopelord ~ Magik Rites (Self Released, Email for enquiries)
From Beyond ~ One Year (Totem Cat Records)

Pelican ~ Deny The Absolute 7" (Mylene Sheath)
Salem's Pot ~ Watch Me Kill You (Reissue) (Easy Rider Records)
Tsar Bomba ~ Silent Queen (Self Release)

Thumlock ~ Emerald Liquid Odyssey (Kozmik Artifatz)

Tumbleweed Dealer ~ Self Titled (EPDMC)
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats ~ Mind Crawler 7" (Rise Above)
Vista Chino ~ Peace (Napalm Records)
Witchcraft ~ Legend (Nuclear Blast)

New Pre-orders/Upcoming Releases -

Black Tusk ~ Tend No Wounds (Relapse)
Carcass ~ Surgical Steel (Nuclear Blast Records)
Coffins ~ The Fleshland (Relapse)
Evile ~ Skull (Earache)
Head In The Dirt ~ The Blind Hole (Southern Lord)
High On Fire ~ Spitting Fire Live,Vol. 1 (Relapse)
Lento / Tons ~ Split LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Monomyth ~ Self Titled (Burning World Records)
Red Fang ~ Whales & Leeches (Relapse)

Windhand ~ Soma (Relapse)

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Video Of The Week -

Windhand ~ Woodbine

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Rockin' The Oldschool...

La Chinga ~ Self Titled (2013)

It's about time we received a bit of good ol' rock n roll, it feels like its been way way too long. Something that feels like its got it roots well and truly planted in the early 70's ya know? It's probably because I've been driving around in the sun all day listening to the likes of Grand Funk, West, Bruce and Laing, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Still, luckily for me this is exactly what La Chinga are offering up, like a latter day Mountain, but from the great white north. You can help but love them. They exude an essence of denim, whiskey and gritty truck stops, which admittedly you don't usually get from Canadians. So you'd be excused for assuming they may just be punching above their weight when it comes to producing a dirty southern classic rock sound. But the proof is in the pudding, and boy do this trio dish up one big fat slab of hard rock pie. I say hard rock, sure, the back bone of this album is pure unadulterated furious rock, but its beautifully interwoven with a nice big helping of mind bending psychedelica and a dash of funk. Not full blown Boosty Collins funk, just a good smattering of what I like to call 'San Franciscan Wawa'... Think, the intro to Shaft. There! Sounds good eh? Well it really is. I've always maintained I was born about 30 years too late. I should have grown up wearing too much denim, tripping balls on psychedelic drugs and heading down to the record store for the latest releases every weekend... Ok, granted, that pretty much sums up my life right now, but goddammit at least I could have got to see all the best bands in their heyday! As much as I adore Sabbath, ZZ Top, The Stone and the like it just doesn't quite seem to have same effect when you know in the back of your mind those guys you're watching are now all technically pensioners. This is why I really dig on bands like La Chinga. They really know where the heart and soul of this genre really lie and you can tell just from Carl's voice. It reverberates and with all that warm tone and feel of a bygone era and calls to mind that of a young Paul Rodgers and Leslie West. Just like Wolfmother's first outing, it's all fundamentally classic rock, but they borrow little bits here and there from all over the place. Listen carefully and you'll catch little licks and breaks that echo everyone from The Allman Brothers to T-Rex. It's all there, just waiting for you to find it. So if you're a bit of an old school connoisseur and fancy a trip back in time, roll yourself a fat one, crash out and chuck this album on. You wont regret it. Especially if you head on over to the guy's bandcamp page and pick it up on limited edition vinyl! I'm bloody gonna!
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Cactus, Grand Funk, ZZ Top, Chilli Cold Blood, Motorcity Daredevils

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A Tropical Nuthouse...

Asilo/Neh Czneg - Split (2013)

Doom metal has a similar ring to it no matter where it comes from. What I find most interesting is when that sound hails from a place you don't typically associate with doom. In this case, Argentina's Asilo (Portuguese for "asylum") hail from sunny and warm South America, not your average doom-and-gloom destination. However, Asilo has made it clear that there is plenty to brood about down south in there latest two tracks offered up on their split with German juggernauts Neh Czneg (for the purpose of this review, I will only be examining Asilo's tracks, but you should still check out Neh Czneg).

Interestingly enough, Asilo are heavy-hitters with crushing bass lines and blown out guitars, but throw curveballs at the listener by infusing elements of jazz. On both tracks, "La Paciencia del Cuchillo" ("The Patience of the Knife") and "Miles de Ojos Cerrados" ("Thousands of Closed Eyes"), Asilo strikes hard out of the gate with reverb and pounding drums as the string sections jump in ferociously and unforgivingly. All of this is great and sounds great until the vocals mix in. That's not to say that the vocals are bad, but they seem to muck up the background and detract from the strong presence the band creates musically. More specifically, the vocals are mixed too low and quiet, almost creating an echo effect that clashes with a lot of the reverb and prolonged cymbal crashes found here. Given that the split is a rough mix, this is an issue that can (and should be) addressed.

My favorite of the two songs, "The Patience of the Knife" is standard doom/sludge territory until roughly the halfway point of the track. It is here that the band jumps into a hi-fi, garage rock tempo that invokes toe-tapping and reminds of early Refused or Minor Threat. These surprising parallels really stood out and gave the track a bit of a boost, albeit short lived before the track abruptly drops out and returns to a looming whirlwind of devastating bass.

"Thousands of Closed Eyes" keeps to a steady pace and possesses a somewhat eerie vibe that, at times, sounds like a chant. Although the more simplistic of the tracks, the song still represents the band's dark side and musical mindset. The inclusion of ambient noise and effects through the back half of the song create an experience, but I was left wondering what that "experience" really was in the scope of things. Perhaps with a little production work and even more experimentation with the noise aspect of the track, the song could find firmer footing and serve as an excellent closing track for a full-length.

Working through a few line-up changes and settling down to hammer out a new record, Asilo will be cooped up for the foreseeable future, but are hoping to emerge in the coming months with even more darkness to share. We at Ride With The Devil anxiously await their masterpiece.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Ash Pool, Bloodhorse, The Angelic Process, Vanessa Van Basten

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Asilo/Neh Czneg Split (name your price)

Away With The Clouds...

Cops/Harry Cloud ~ Cry Now, Cry Later (2013)

First impressions can be a bit of a bitch. When I'm faced with a cover depicting a burning mini van and a family of moose in a paddling pool, it's easy to just past judgement and think, "well, this is going to be mental." Where as, now having listened to it, what I should really have been thinking was, "this is going to be fucking mental"... Because it is. Like, inside the head of a psychopath kind of mental. Dark, dirty and incredibly goddamn eerie. Really, if I'd been played this with no backstory or prior warning my first thought would have been that Jay Randal (Agoraphobic Nosebleed) had suffered a stroke, found jesus, then been kicked into a studio with a shit load of meth. I'm completely at a loss as what to actually write about Cops if I'm entirely honest, other than its the brain child of Harry Cloud, who I honestly don't know too much about. I would however avoid introducing Harry to your sister/daughter, inviting him to family get togethers or putting him in charge or either small children or heavy machinery... If this is an insight into his psyche then I suspect he's possibly the kind of guy that would repeatedly punch your grandmother in the face then turn her limp lifeless body into some kind of life size marionette.
Bizarre isn't the word, all the right ingredients are there, just not necessarily in the right order, but for some bloody reason I can't stop listening to the damn thing. It's equal parts, hypnotic, noir, baffling and bat shit crazy. If you fancy having your subconscious systematically raped for several minutes give it a go. But I would suggest giving some of their prior releases a go first... Just to ease yourself in.

For Fans Of; Jay Randal, David Lynch, Japanese Comedy Torture Hour, Tank 86 The Cosmic Dead

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