Buoyed By Beats...

Dygora - Chambers of Reflections (2018)

Following up on their Prelude to Revoluton demo from 2015, the London-based quintet of Dygora have returned with four more tracks of death metal with a dusting of sludge influence, sounding pretty polished with the production of their beats and growling guitars. The vocals, despite their consistency in delivering a rough gnashing, are probably the least interesting component of the music, and often feel like they're just distracting from the instrumental meshing, with their most engaging usage being when the rasping is played as a rhythmic counter-point or overlay. Past the dirty tones of the guitars and bass, and a couple of spoken samples in the last song, there's not that much sludge influence to be found, unfortunately, and for the most part, the songs chug along without taking breaks to indulge in more textured effects, or to push their intensity and aggressiveness up to blackened levels. While it may be an improvement from their demo days, it also shows plenty of room for the band to continue defining their style as something more distinctive, though the near-half-hour of material here should please those who are just looking to satisfy their cravings for some blast-beats and barking.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Blood of the Wolf, Matalobos, Necrophobic, Reign In Blood, Throne of Heresy

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Sun Baked Treats...

Groggy - ...in the Land of Sunshine (2018)

The last time we covered my favorite Russian band here on TBB was back at the start of 2016, to review Groggy's release of the Turtle LP. Though they've had a couple of releases since then, this EP makes for a nice point at which new-comers to the group's heavy stoner metal can jump in and check out what they're about, or just some extra enjoyment for existing fans. Opening track “IFLNTS” throws some wild, almost punkish intensity into that metal base, bashing hard and riding a fast-rolling groove through to the end. “TAAB” kicks in with a clear and savory riff, leading to funky string warbling and deeper rocking that keeps sinking further into heaviness. Lastly, “DSOTWE” leads the way out with a crunchy cook-up of chords, cymbals, and crashing drums, slowing fading out into a sizzling psychedelic wash. Tasty stuff from start to finish, and just as fun as it is heavy.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Bomg, Hot Knives, The Munsens, Weedeater, Wounded Giant

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Groggy - TAAB (320 kbps)

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Lost In Smoke...

Hot Knives - Static Bloom (2018)

With this debut EP, the Brooklyn-based trio of Hot Knives offer up three tracks of bleary psych rock, taking cues from an audibly wide range of influences while coating it all together with big slatherings of fuzz. And by just riding the grooves where they might go, HK effectively evoke the feel of '70s psych bands without it feeling even close to the clumsy aping that most retro-psychers fall into with their efforts. They're not hung up on being 'pure psych,' but like the originals, they're willing to mix in some punk rawness, some bluesy soulfulness, straight-up rocking, and whatever else does service to the songs.

True, it's a pretty quick experience, just barely breaking a quarter of an hour, but the band maintains quite a high level of quality with impressive consistency through that run, which is just what you want to make happen with your first release. On top of that, there's enough depth to the tangles and snarls of grooving to keep follow-up listens engaging, so if you dig some psych rock with real life behind it, hit up their BandCamp page to grab a copy for yourself, and throw them some spare cash if you want to hear more from the group in the future.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Frank Sabbath, The GTVs, The Heavy Co., MC5, Purge Solenoid

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Hot Knives - dank zappa (320 kbps)

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Rising From The Depths...

Spine Chilling Breeze - Estrus, Humidity and Other Addictives (2018)

It's been six years since the Greek band Spine Chilling Breeze released their debut album (plus a promo before that, which our man Jay covered back in the day), and in that time, the group disbanded, reunited, and put out a single to show that they were still alive.   Now their second LP has arrived, and with its seven songs, the band packs some lively heavy rock in, blending the bluesy roots with hard rhythms and rough attitude while playing up the riffs and rowdiness.

At just over half an hour, it's a quick run, but that fits the energy of the music, while also letting SCB bounce around, flavor-wise, without it feeling too disruptive to the flow of the album as a whole.  Pedaled-up guitar, clear drums, troweled-out bass, and vocals that jump from growls to howls are all in the mix, and while it doesn't always hit square on, there's enough liveliness and enthusiasm coming through that it doesn't really matter all that much.  The essential spirit is there, and as long as you're in search of straight-forward rock, this'll scratch your itch.  Here's hoping this gets SCB the ears they need to put out another full-length before six more years have passed.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Clutch, La Chinga, Queens of the Stone Age, Sedated Angel, Sheavy

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Spine Chilling Breeze - I Am Transparent (320 kbps)

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