Sunday 21 February 2016

Tuesday 16 February 2016

Serpent – Nekromant

There is a freshness and urgency to Serpent that makes this 
album sound like a classic already. Proto-metal riffs jostle with 
Stoner Blues headbanging tunes which have been dipped in the 
potent brew that is early Sabbath. 


There is no dicking around here – with a plug in, turn up and play 
attitude, the sound is heavy, dense but with an uplifting feeling of 
fist-pumping joy. The unstoppable groove monster these Swedes are 
playing just make me realise that sometimes all I want to do is hear 
some heavy rock played with power and epic tunes. With the growing 
success of Graveyard and Kadavar slowly spreading, it would be an 
injustice if this album does not get the recognition it deserves.

Tuesday 9 February 2016

Pristine - Reboot

Hey you, yeah, you reading this now. You look like the kinda
person who likes up-tempo tunes performed by a modern beat-combo.
Are you wandering around sad and desperate because there is no
new album from Electric Citizen or The Blues Pills? 


Do ya dig heavy blues with a Stoner attitude?
Sung by a female fury full of passion and brimstone?
Do you like screaming guitar solos?
Pounding rhythm sections?
Tasteful use of a mouth organ?
Swirly Hammond organ breaks?
 Do ya like to bang your head in time to stomping tunes?
Howzabout psychedelic sections?
Epic soulful songs that start wistful and end heavy?
Whattabout kicking melodies combined with power?

If you have answered yes to all of the above, you need to hear
the Pristine album.

If you answered yes to a lot of the above, you need to hear
the Pristine album.

If you hate all the above and only listen to downtuned, bleak doom
filth sludge drone metal, you need to hear the Pristine album………
 go on, I won’t tell anyone!

Facebook
Pristine Site



Thursday 4 February 2016

Love Sex Machine - Asexual Anger

With their last album coming out in 2012, Love Sex Machine 
play sludge and then stomp over everything with rage and 
aggression.


This is wildly ferocious stuff which is de-tuned to make
your guts throb in time to the beats. The vocal howls
are buried deep in the mix which add to the dark heavy
atmosphere created by the sonic hurricane of power.

The core of their sound hasn't changed : gut-punching guitars, 
irresistible slow and chuggy riffs that create an apocalyptic wall of 
sound only pierced by hellish shrieks. I am not sure what they put in 
the water over in France but this album is a fine addition to the 
group of bands already killing innocent bystanders.  

Thick and dense, this pummels your speakers from 
start to finish. This is not for the faint-hearted! When the
 end of the world comes, this will be the soundtrack.

Thanks to Geraud and Lost Pilgrims Records for the promo.

Monday 1 February 2016

ROSY FINCH - WITCHBORO 2015

Guest Writer Doug E Dogg

Mr Maim occasionally attaches a very brief note to some of 
the new albums he sends me, mainly to give me some reassurance
 it isn't a "window chucker" ! This phrase arose from some 
albums he did for me many years ago which, when I gave 
him my thoughts on them, stated that my finger was hovering 
over the electric window switch in readiness to hurl the soon 
to be ejected cd from my car ! This very fine album was in 
no danger of this fate from the moment it started 
blaring out of the speakers.


Tony's note read... " what if The Runaways had formed today, 
raised on stoner bands ?"......as so often he was absolutely 
spot on ! They are a 3 piece from Spain with Mireia on guitar and 
vocals, Elena on bass and vocals and Lluis on drums. The vocals 
having that certain desperate throat ripping Joan Jett-ishness to 
them...a good thing in my book. This threesome make a very fine
 racket throughout with shitloads of other influences thrown in 
for good measure....Hole, Babes In Toyland, L7, Girlschool and 

The Lunachicks come to mind. Tracks range from full on foot 
stompers with a fuzzed up metal glam feel, to those containing 
moments of incredibly oppressive heaviness, to numbers that 
either lurch suddenly into full gear almost taking you by surprise 
by their brutality and change of pace or ones that slowly build to 
a crescendo that makes you reach for the repeat play button as the
 track fades out.

The best example of the latter is the breathtakingly 
atmospheric "Ligeia" which is probably my favourite new track of 2015. 
The musicianship and production are first class throughout and 
I keenly look forward to hearing any future offerings.

To get some idea what I'm blabbering on about  
I urge you to check out the whole album...NOW !