"Archon is a New York City based metal band whose sound blends the heaviest
of psych, stoner, doom and sludge. Created in 2008 by Andrew Jude, Archon has
persisted through several lineup changes. In 2010, the band self-produced its
first full length record, The Ruins at Dusk (*). A collaboration of seven people,
The Ruins at Dusk fused the epic atmospherics and dynamics of Electric Wizard
and Neurosis while maintaining a melodic sensibility reminiscent of doom godfathers
St. Vitus and Black Sabbath.
Since late 2010, the band has been comprised of Andrew Jude (guitar, bass),
Nikhil Kamineni (bass, guitar), Rajah Marcelo (drums), Rachel Brown (vocals,
synth) and Chris Dialogue (vocals, noise). In 2011 Archon toured the Northeast,
and over the years has shared the stage with doom heavyweights Unearthly
Trance, Coffinworm, Wolvserpent, Negative Reaction, Apostle of Solitude, Cough,
Hull, Batillus, Sea of Bones, Graven and Earthride.
With the upcoming release of “Ouroboros Collapsing”, Archon travels further
down the path of devastation, disillusion and despair by exploring the depths
of self as a microcosm for all existence. The crushing riffs are still heavy as
fuck, but are interlaced with more contemplative ambience. With dueling vocals
ranging from death growls to clean singing, and everything in between, the
sense of universal collapse will engulf you."
Samples from OUROBOROS COLLAPSING :
Wheelfall’s sound is hardly original
but it’s worth looking past the desert rock echoes and taking this album as
simply a collection of great, fuzzy jams by a group of musicians who love their
chosen idiom and see no reason to reinvent the wheel. Or indeed the Wheelfall
(sorry!). It helps that their songwriting seems to have evolved since their
last release. In particular, the drums, which sometimes seemed a bit too modern
and metallic on the last release, have settled into a more song-based approach.
The science fiction theme really helps, at least for me; while I didn’t follow
the lyrics, the spacey trappings seem to lend the music a certain interstellar
roominess. The songs on this album get better as
they get longer. Which is not to say that their shorter songs
are a slouch: the
relatively short ‘Howling’ manages to make every second of its 5-minute span
count, moving from an uptempo opening section into a slow, almost doomy riff.
‘Holy Sky’ ups the running time, stretching to 8 minutes and giving its
langorous, smoky riffs space to breathe. ‘The Parasite Ravages’ moves between
mid-tempo, catchy grooves and expansive passages and packs in some nicely
atmospheric lead work. ‘It comes from the mist’ has echoes of Sleep and bands
from the Wino lineage, conjuring up darker but still quite laidback
atmospheres. The singer’s John Garcia-esque delivery is especially effective
here.
The steadily building song lengths had
me eagerly awaiting the epic title track, and it certainly gets off to a good
start with some chugging, ominous riffing interleaved with more opened-out
passages. The dual guitar attack, not really used texturally as much as it
could be elsewhere, makes for some effective layering. A rumbling bass
interlude ushers in a dynamic second section with the first sung verse emerging
at around 6 minutes. At the halfway mark, there’s another switch into a more
rapid section with whispered vocals echoing in the distance as the guitar
layering slowly builds. There’s a memorable,
disconcerting ending section, with riffs slowly decaying into pure texture as
agonized vocals intone. However, I’m not convinced that the musical ideas and
melodies were distinctive enough to make such a long song stand out. It’s quite
likely that Wheelfall is going to create a truly classic epic song some day; in
the meantime I think they work best in the 8-10 minute range, which is by no
means shabby.
Words by
Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
Allow me JP to add a few more words to your review,
just to precise that this final title track lasts 22 minutes (!); if
personally I had a single - but slight -
reproach to point out towards this album, that would be indeed the excessive
length of this song.
Finally, talking about originality, it’s certain that
WHEELFALL didn’t invent anything special in a genre that has revealed 95% of
its components with just about 5 albums
in the 90’s… but in consistency this album is fairly above the average, plus the correlation between the lyrical
thems and the general mood is very interesting.
“Interzone” will be officially released through
SUNRUIN rds on November 14th, in digipack with a 12-pages
illustration booklet. Pre-orders are coming ths September 10th !
Each pre-order will also allow you to download the entire album IMMEDIATELY !!!
I already interviewed Gary from Steaming Heathen and Bob from The Soggy Bog radioshows a little while ago, it's now time to have a little focus on a great new European podcast named THE WICKED LADY SHOW... Consisting bi-weekly in one hour of underground abrasive and low tuned sounds, it is maliciously programmed by Ulla, a wise german lady who kindly answered my questions with deep passion and a great sense of humor... You can have a precise idea of her tastes and way of assembling insane stuff all together with both episodes (17&19) that I posted below; if not yet, I have no doubt you'll become quickly a fervent follower ! Support the scene, support her podcast ...
Halo Ulla ! some of the readers already
know that you’re a nice and mature german woman supporting actively the Sludge/Stoner/Doom
Metal underground scene(s) but could you please present (briefly or not)
yourself ?!
I studied English and
German to be a teacher, but I soon realized that I sucked at it and I quit
that. So I did just this and that including watch my two sons grow and make
sure they become metalheads haha (I succeded in that so far). My main
occupations in the moment are translating, doing a podcast show, writing
reviews for the metalbandcamp blog and watch my sons… umm, having stopped
growing.
Most metallers from my generation (am born in
1968) started listening Maiden, Judas Priest, Sabbath, etc… at the very end of
the 70’s or early 80’s , but being a bit older than this, maybe YOU’ve had the
luck to live and feel the magical essence of the 70’s… ? how did you come to
music ? Was it Hard Rock first, then Heavy Metal, then Thrash and DM and
finally Stoner/Doom and Sludge ?!!!!
It was exactly the
year 1970, Sept.18th, or maybe one or two days later. I was 11 years
old and watched the TV news. Someone reported about the death of a certain Jimi
Hendrix and they played “Hey Joe” and “All Along the Watchtower”. That was so
different from all music I knew. I was intrigued immediately, my parents
horrified (all the better). From this moment I took the usual highway to hell.
Of course, the heroes of my youth were Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, King Crimson,
Black Sabbath…. In the 70’s there was a lot of experimenting (but of course my
whole life felt like an experiment back then). I somehow skipped the Thrash and
picked up the DM and BM. The main lanes on my personal “highway” were the
progressive/psychedelic lane, the blues rooted rock lane and the HC/crust/punk
lane… and yes, finally the
doom/stoner/sludge lane.
When it comes to METAL, after the golden days
of the 80’s and eventually the early 90’s with tons of HM, Thrash and even
Death Metal… I feel that for quite a
long time Germany doesn’t provide many influential bands anymore, whichever
underground styles we could listen; this, despite the fact that there’s lots of
fans, press, festivals… what’s your opinion about this ?
I don’t know. I
suspect the German metallers, musicians as well as fans, of being quite
conservative in terms of music. They like to stick to what they know. But I can
be completely wrong with that and it is just a natural phenomenon like a kind
of tidal movement affecting a whole area it’s now the time for bands from different
areas to flood the metal scene with new ideas. I am thinking of bands from
eastern Europe like Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, etc. I believe there are
a lot of exciting things going on right now.
Germany has always been reknown for its Thrash
or classic HM bands… and still is, even if most of those still existing are now
pretty old and declining, how could you explain that Doom, Sludge and Stoner
are still quite confidential in such an active country for extreme musics ?
It surprises me again
and again that many metal fans, either don’t acknowledge these genres as metal
genres – is it Thrash? No? How can you call it Metal?, or they don’t even know
what I’m talking about. As I suspected above, they are a bunch of old
schoolers, haha. But again I may be totally wrong here too. I have no profound
explanation.
So, let’s speak now about THE WICKED LADY SHOW…
how did it happen that you started this show a few months ago ? did you already
have previous experiences in this domain ?
My only experience in
that domain was turn on the (“normal” FM) radio, turn it off again and thinking
“Who the hell is responsible for this crap? I ought to do radio in one way or
another.” Of course I never would have done it, if Gary from Grip of Delusion
Radio hadn’t been looking for more podcast shows for his station and hadn’t
asked me. And so, with Gary’s kind and patient help (thanks Gary!) the Wicked
Lady Show was born.
How are you working to prepare this show ? Why
does it last only 1 hour ?
In most cases there is
one or two songs I like much in the very moment I begin a show. All the other
songs are picked to support, enhance or even contradict the mood of these
songs, then I try to cram them into the 1 hour frame, shift and change until
both, the time frame and my sense of a coherent show are satisfied. The show
lasts 1 hour, simply because Gary had asked me for a 1 hour show. I am quite
happy with that 1 hour, sometimes I could use some more time though, but then…
there’s always the next show.
What does your family think about it ?
My family thinks it’s
cool what I’m doing. My husband has to spend many hours on the road in his car
for his job. He’s always happy with a mix of new music on his sd card. My sons
are proud to have a metal mum, haha….. and they are all musicians, two
vocalists (husband and eldest son) one drummer (younger son).
The show is programmed each week-end on Grip of
Delusion… Did Gary have an influence on you or other buddies like Soggy Bog,
Foundry of Doom, Crestfallen etc… ?
They all have an
influence on me, they all do great shows. I enjoy to listen to their shows and
soak it all up. And speaking of the Soggy Bog I have to say that the Soggy Bog
show totally dragged me into the doom and sludge swampland, and that is just a
few years ago. So, if you should read this Bob, thanks for infecting me with
the “Bog”.
Do you intend to get the show programmed
through other radios ?
I wouldn’t say no, if a
radio station (one of the kind I would listen to) asked me, but I am not
actively searching.
I hope not of course but don’t you sometimes
have to face some mysoginist attitudes in your musical activities ?
Within the metal scene
it happens very rarely. Occasional incidents of surprise I rather take as the
funny part of the sad reality that too few women are involved in extreme music.
Sometimes, of course I am confronted with insults deriving from a misogynistic
motivation.
Last episode was a special “doomed covers”… if
I’m not wrong this was the 1st thematic show, do you have ideas to
do some more on other themes in the future like Soggy Bog does frequently ?
The “doomed covers”
was fun to do and I think I will do some more cover song shows, but I don’t think
of other themed shows right now. My shows are simply led by a focus on a
special mood. My intention is to just put together 1 hour of music that is
coherent yet varied. The themed Soggy Bogs are awesome though, and I can only
imagine the effort Bob puts into them.
The show programms of course Doom and Stoner,
but I feel that your (actual) style of predilection is SLUDGE… what do you
particularly enjoy in it that you maybe don’t find in other Doomed subgenres?
Ha yes, you’ve got me
here. The Sludge can combine so many elements of music I love. It’s the raw
abrasiveness, the slow paced bass driven downtuned thick filth as well as the
up tempo crusty elements of punk. There’s blues and rock ‘n roll and also
ambient post metal and drone sounds, able to express a variety of moods and all
this flung right into your face…. Seriously, what more could one want?
I noticed that there’s sometimes a band played
that isn’t at all related to the others, still with obscure/epic moods but
different, I’m thinking for example about Melechesh and Enslaved… do you fix
any restrictions towards the styles of the band programmed or is it just your feelings
of the moment ?
I do this to prevent
the listeners from falling asleep, haha. No, sometimes I just want to put
something in that provides a different tone of the mood, or even contradicts it
without destroying it. There are no restrictions. Everything I do with music is
pure intuition and emotion.
Do you get precise statistics about the
audience following your show ? if yes
what are you learning out of them ? where do you get the most audience from ?
The statistics are
poor and there’s really nothing I could learn from them.
You regularly play some great French bands like
Cult of Occult, Eibon, Love Sex Machine, Barabbas, Stangala, etc…. any special
affection for French bands and France just simply ?!!!
They just happen to be
excellent bands I like very much. It wouldn’t make any difference, if they came
from Mars and I wouldn’t pick or dismiss a band because of its state of origin.
This doesn’t completely apply to Stangala. In addition to being an excellent
band, they come from an area of France I love very much and have many precious
memories connected to. And their music is full of the folky tunes of that area.
What could we wish to THE WICKED LADY SHOW for
the future ?
You could wish that the flow of response
doesn’t stop, from the audience as well as from the bands. That’s what keeps me
going.
Thanx to Pim Blankenstein for catching the attention, via FB, on this awesome new band that is CHURCHBURN... This is fresh and burning at the same time !!! The new project of Dave Suzuki (ex VITAL REMAINS, here on guitar and vocals) and Ray Mc Caffrey (Sin Of Angels, and ex GRIEF, on drums and vocals)...
I felt immediately the same as Pim certainly : this needs to be shared right away !!! Shit, this sounds so fucking HEAVY and mindblowing...
Sure if you like it slow and low but only classically DOOM, then I doubt this is for you ; but if you dig it also brutal and evil, meaning a pretty solid and complete mix of black, sludge, doom with a slight pinch of death metal for the good form... then this band is for you !!!
In terms of brutality I think those guys perfectly know their affair, this is measured reasonably here though, but what I like very much is that here they really seem to achieve what they were looking for in terms of hauntingness and evilized wickedness all mixed together.
The overall is based on menacing and hellish mid-tempos and the long "Come Forth the Swarm" (1st video below) includes an amazing solo by Dave Suzuki which not only lets remind that this guy did some good things for and with Vital Remains, but is far more melodic, slightly progressive and epic than what he did before (at least with them). That's a good point to create a surprising relief full of twirling melodies, before an end that brings you again nearby the gates of hell !
This said, I'm sure that those appetizers announce a masterful album that will be one of this year's winners, watch out for CHURCHBURN...
Workhorse, freak-metal traffickers (the) Melvins can be depended on for two things. First off, they reliably churn out new full lengths and EPs annually or, at the very least, on a biennial basis. Secondly, they bring the weird—seemingly never satisfied to repeat themselves and fiercely opposed to indulging expectations. Well, at least up to the release of 2006’s excellent‘(A) Senile Animal’. It’s not that ‘Nude with Boots’ and ‘The Bride Screamed Murder’ were necessarily bad albums, but not since the Melvins/Big Business amalgamation has the band retained such a familiar sound over the span of multiple releases.
Approaching ‘the bulls & the bees’ EP I would have been surprised if I wasn’t surprised. The first two tracks “The War on Wisdom” and“We are Doomed” certainly didn’t startle. I’ll be clear: these definitely aren’t bad tunes. In fact, they are probably the two greatest tracks that weren’t on ‘(A) Senile Animal’—which is a welcome return to sound after the classic rock indulgent ‘Nude with Boots’ and slightly uneven ‘The Bride Screamed Murder’. Dale Crover and Coady Willis don’t fail to pummel the listener with their twin drum attack—one of the highlights of latter day Melvins. Probably the biggest contributing factor to the Melvins’ current sound is the dual shared vocals of Buzz Osborne and bassist Jared Warren which is all over these first tracks.
“Friends Before Larry” brings some of the weird that made ‘Hostile Ambient Takeover’ such a rewarding trip. The wind wails, a muffled buzzsaw rips, and a tortured soul bellows before the drums kick in and the feedback squalls. The song is drenched in sinister synths that wash out and bury the vocals in the mix. It’s a noisy affair that marches too soon to its conclusion. Three songs deep and my mind is finally blown.
The synths die down and the wind continues to blow segueing into the film score appropriate “A Really Long Wait”. Tortured strings begin to cry out. For thirty seconds the song emanates the cinematic flair of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but instead of a spoken word diatribe against the evils of capitalism and the post-industrial world hymnal vocals mournfully wail. The solemnity of “A Really Long Wait” is impressive as it may be the most emotionally wrought tune ever composed by the band.
The EP closer, “National Hamster”, rivals “Friends Before Larry” as the standout track due to some hook heavy lead guitar and Beatles-esque backing vocals which may sound out of place on a Melvins track, but they fit just right. It just goes to show that the band seemingly never fails to have a trick or two stuffed up their collective sleeves.
‘the bulls & the bees’ EP may not be the freak-out departure that a segment of fans have been wishing for, but it’s a solid effort and is a testament to the creativity and staying power of a band that is pushing 30 years of existence. Few acts, past or present, can make such a claim. Oh, did I mention this EP is free? Download it free from Scion Audio Visual or pick up the vinyl on the Melvins Lite record-breaking attempting “51”tour.
Consistencey is one thing, but it’s a rarity when a band is able to continuously top itself over the span of multiple releases. Peru’s Reino Ermitaño are one such beast and have released not only their finest album to date, ‘Veneración del Fuego’, but they have released an album that should—provided that it’s not criminally overlooked—trudge its way to the top of many year end lists.
For the uninitiated, Reino Ermitaño practice a heavy, raw, groove-laden form of psychedelic doom that is as unique as it is infectious. Much of the album’s catchiness can be attributed to not only solid songwriting, but to the killer riffing and guitar tone courtesy of newcomer, Eloy Arturo, and the engaging vocal melodies of Tania Duarte who is somehow able to elevate her vocal performances with each successive release. For non-Spanish speakers the fact that Duarte sings in her native Spanish is not problematic and serves to accentuate her voice, the vocal melodies, and contributes deeper to the mystical aura of the album as a whole.
Production-wise the album is near flawless and each instrument is clear, distinct, and mixed perfectly. The guitars roar with a gritty tone while riding atop the thunderous heft of Marcos Coifman’s basslines. While Reino Ermitaño has always been experimental, the band has further broadened their musical palette by incorporating even more instruments into their repertoire such as Andean harp—an essential element for the quieter moments of album standout “Sangre India”—Moog synthesizer, flute, and violin, among others. The band’s masterful inclusion of atypical instrumentation not only separates the band from the herd, but it also serves to firmly establish their identity as a uniquely Peruvian doom band.
‘Veneración del Fuego’ is a solid album from beginning to end and each track is a beguiling, atmospheric journey. Despite the consistent, high quality songwriting, “Sangre India” stands out above the rest of the tracks as an album highlight by containing not only the album’s heaviest and catchiest moments, but also some of the most serene moments as well. When the song is in full swing the bass pulses and the drums really drive the song forward under the spell of Tania’s bewitching vocals.
2012 has stood witness to essential releases from two unique, female-fronted doom bands, first with Uzala’s excellent self-titled debut and subsequent ‘Cataract/Death Masque’ single, and now Reino Ermitaño’s ‘Veneración del Fuego’. All of Reino Ermitaño’s releases are highly recommended, but the band has surpassed all of their previous efforts with ‘Veneración del Fuego’.Highly recommended and essential listening…
Here's a brief post to present you BLACK AWAKENING from Lafayette (USA).
They have just posted a new song "Pillars of Creation" on the net and this one is so good, accompanying me nicely this morning, that I wanted to share that cool discovery with you...
OCCULT SLUDGE / BLACK/DOOM, that's about the nice programm to expect from this mixed duo consisting in Tim (guit/voc) and Mandi (drums) whose first album "Cult of the Dying God" is actually in the -final- works.
The heaviness and fuzziness of B.A. take classically influences in Electric Wizard but the occult and grimy moods are utterly blackened too (there's something that reminds Bethlehem)which make it, if not extremely original, at least deeply insidious, crushing and definitely worth following... Sure, you'll read about them here again within the next weeks ! Go on their FB page and enjoy "Revolutionnary
Suicide", another song from this upcoming debut.
"Our fire burns bright as we dance around the black flames singing the
hymns of Lucifer. Our cult shall rise! The black awakening has begun!"
With their debut "Return to Earth", here's a band that released almost exactly one year ago, one of the best albums of Stoner Rock from these last years... As punchy as Mike Tyson in his golden days, SIGIRIYA is an incredible riffing machine which even takes a higher dimension on stage for some of the most memorable performances you could ever expect... Too bad, vocalist Dorian recently quited the band , which implies a delayed new album but doesn't discourage at all his old buddies, as Stuart (guit) proves it with his usual communicative passion and enthusiasm :
So, how is it going, not too hampered by
this hand’s injury ? I suppose that at least during the 1st weeks
you’re completely off to play guitar… isn’t it too hard to stand ?
Yeah not too bad thanks Steph, despite
my thumb injury which has been a bit tedious. Being right handed and having my
hand in a cast has been interesting , not able to work or jam has been a bummer
though. The break ran straight up along the main bone into the joint, which at
first was a big fear as it may have healed and maybe fused the joint? But the
specialist assured me it should be fine.
Don’t you feel sometimes a bit
frustrated when interviews turn out to include for the most part questions
concerning Acrimony ?
I think we’re bound to get it for some
time to come really being like four fifths of Acrimony and I think Sigiriya’s
yet to stretch its legs fully. Personally I don’t get frustrated if people like
to find out the odd thing about the band. We sure get more attention now than
when we were active, which I think happens to a lot of cult bands that cut it
and quite before their time.
I presume that the departure of Dorian
was felt like a big loss by you guys but in some way, don’t you think that the
coming of a new singer could almost definitely help to be fully recognized as
Sigiriya and not as the new band of ex Acrimony members ?
Dorian was obviously a huge part of the
band and his voice informed a lot of the songs, just like they did in our
Acrimony days. There’s nothing wrong with being viewed as ‘the new band of ex
Acrimony members’ I reckon anyway. Sigiriya already has its own identity so any
new person who joins the fold will have to fit in with us and our ethos (and
history) and rather than choosing someone that will take us further away from
our roots we will be looking for someone who knows our roots, as essentially
where you come from makes who you are now.
Were
you aware for a while that Dorian was going to quit or did it suddenly happen ?
We knew it would happen one day sadly
and when the bomb drops you always find it hard to get your head around. Think
he was finding it hard to juggle the band with family life and that’s the way
it goes I guess? We still wish him all the best.
What
would be the profile of the new singer ? Did you already have some concrete
applications for Dorian’s replacement or will you take care about that when you
recover the use of your hand and then rehearse again ?
Nothing set in stone at the moment,
we’re just gonna keep jamming and writing for the next lp and keep putting out
feelers. Dor was a story teller, a hell of a frontman and a loon. We’re not
gonna be looking for a Dorian clone but any prospective replacements have
definitely got to be a character who shines and can hold a tune.
I’ve
read that you’ve got about 6 new songs composed, are they all completed with
lyrics ? could you tell us if they retranscribe a palpable evolution in
Sigiriya’s sound ? you described one of them as a mix of 70’s ZZ Top and
classic era TROUBLE, I would be really curious to listen how it sounds like !
I think that there’s probably 4 in the
bag with a rough lyric style (that will probably change with a new singer) and
another 4 near completion. There’s a little work in progress if you like and yeah
the sounds kinda the same, a little bigger and dirtier. Why fix something if it
ain’tbroken, right? Yeah we’re calling
that one ‘Trouble at the top’ at the moment, for a laugh as it’s got the
classic ‘Top style 70’s main riff and structure mixed with a massive Trouble
breakdown and solo which fuckin rules to play!!
The
production of “return to earth” had a very particular sound, raw, dirty, almost
sludgy… is it something that you’ll try to keep for next album or do you feel
this needs a change, an improvement ?
I don’t think we’d like to change that
vibe too much. Maybe make it more massive which is always the challenge.
Personally I think it’ll have the bass a little more up there and dirtier as is
with our live sound, keeping the drums banging and the guitar heavy and
singing.
live at Morrowfest - credit goes to Jez Walshaw
Your
(memorable) show at Roadburn only included songs from the album, but did you
ever play new songs live ? Is there any songs that you already know you won’t
play live anymore when new ones will be definitely ready ? -oops sorry ! I now remember about 2... was definitely toostoned when I prepared that one :( -
Ha, we did actually play 3 new tracks a
Roadburn and 2 of them have been in rotation since the Lord Vicar, Orchid euro
tour. I think we’ll always get excited by a new tune and just throw it out
there for kicks because we’re chuffed. If we think it’s a winner, let it run.
There will always be songs that get cut for a while and will hopefully return
when we feel the moments right.
I’ve
been really impressed by your way of playing live, very expressive, are you
conscious that you’re almost constantly smiling, making faces on stage… is that
so orgasmic ?!
Play it from the heart every time mate,
mistakes ‘n all.
Was
the spring tour with ORCHID and LORD VICAR the best you’ve ever had with any of
your bands ? It looks like that it has been a nice human adventure too … ?
Which country that you haven’t reached yet would you like to play in preferably
now ?
Yes personally it was one of my favorite
tours that I’ve had the chance to do; a lot of craziness mind you, but that
goes hand in hand. And getting to play with two very accomplished bands every
night definitely makes you step up you game. Lord Vicar are one of my fave doom
bands also and they kill it every time, plus they will always be true and good
friends. I think there’s still a load of places we’d like to play, France,
Spain, Sweden, Japan , ha the list goes on and on..
Some
weeks ago, you posted on FB a message that was warning people about a
distributor that ripped you off, you then recommended to buy Acrimony and
Sigiriya stuff just through Church Within or you directly… it seems that a few
other bands have had the same troubles with that guy, are things arranged or is
it an integral loss for you ?
Man, it’s a bit of a shitstorm really
that I don’t want to bother or bore people with. Just deal with us direct or
with Oli at Church Within Recs, that’s all I can say.
After
the London’s desertfest and Roadburn this spring, you played at festivals in
Germany and Austria this summer… how did you enjoy those both last ones ? Is to
play at Roadburn definitely the ultimate highlight for a stoner/doom band or
did you take an equal pleasure and have been as proud and happy with the others
?
Roadburn was a definite high point for
us as Sigiriya. But they’ve all been a real pleasure and honour to play. We
dealt with and met some amazing people doing these shows and hope to do more of
the same when we’re back up and running.
Wales
and Brittany (where I live) have common celtic historic roots, including in the
native language, traditional music, etc… do you feel attached to this culture ?
(by the way, I should tell ya that my family name in Britton means “the welsh”
!)
I guess I’m proud to be Welsh but don’t
really associate myself with culture etc.
Could
you imagine a decent reason that would push you to shave your beard ?
NO.
Could you please cite any new interesting
welsh stoner/doom/metal bands that is worth discovering? I know that Wales is a
pretty small country but is there any other towns outside Cardiff that allow to
play in good conditions ?
Personally I’m not really keyed up on any
new bands, as I tend to keep myself to myself and sadly we don’t tend to play
around Wales at all. There is the odd show here and there, but that’s about it.
I will tell you to check out HARK from Bristol, they’re a bunch of Welsh dudes,
one of them being Jimbob ( One of my best mates and ex TAINT frontman/ He also
did the ‘Return to earth’ artwork ) – They win bigtime!!
I
remember reading that you formed SIGIRIYA to “feel if the old magic was still
there”, I won’t take any risk by thinking it still is, but how do you see the
future of the band now ? It’ll be of course delayed but are you still planing
to release the new album in 2013 ?
Well I will say that myself, Dar and
Mead are still having way too much fun too pack it in. Personally, I enjoy the camaraderie,
just jamming with these guys and I guess we’ll keep it going so long as we’re
chuffed to do it. As for the record, the plan was to record in jan/feb 2013 and
maybe again work with Billy Anderson one way or another? Then to get it out by
March 2013. Now it’s in the lap of the gods so to say. We’ll just keep our
heads down writingand see how things
pan out?
Could
you tell us which SIGIRIYA merchandise is currently still available ? plus add
something if you wish, thanx a lot Stu !!!
Yeah get in touch through our facebook
page to get a low down on merch and you can deal direct with one of us to see
what’s what. Also any of you out there fancies giving the vocal duties a turn,
please get in touch also. Big up to you Steph, much thanks always for the support!!
Whilst there are a whole host of bedroom
based black metal acts out there, solo doom projects are a bit more elusive (well,
except Joe Preston’s awesome Thrones, of course). West Virginia’s incredibly
prolific one man doom band Wizardrone (AKA Jason Wright) seems to be on a
mission to change that, releasing no less than 5 full lengths in the last 4
years. This self-titled release (his first physical release) is a compilation,
featuring some re-recorded versions of earlier tunes, and stands up pretty well
for the most part.
Wizardrone’s sound is thick and swampy, but
also quite distant and eerie. Whilst there are a couple of misfires, when Jason
is on form he totally nails it. ‘Curse Of The Ill Fated’ is perhaps the most
successful track here, with its gargantuan riffs and militaristic drumming
rolling out of the speakers like some kind of mystical sonic tank, flattening
your face in the process. The howling vocals and extended psychedelic outro are
the icing on the cake, making this song feel like Ufomammut’s younger brother.
‘Loxleigh The Warlock’s Apprentice’ churns along with queasy grooves, distant
reverb drenched vocals and eerie occult vibes, and the evil sounding riff
halfway through ‘Blood Of The Heretic’ is great, complete with an almost
Burzum-esque drumbeat. ‘Army Of The Ancients’ escalates into full-on bouts of
doom-laden riff worship, that sounds a bit like an Electric Wizard practice
being recorded from a few rooms away.
It may seem like an obvious comparison, but
aesthetically speaking, Wizardrone feels kind of like a less de-tuned Black
Mayonnaise. The supremely lo-fi production values are both a blessing and a
curse for many of these lysergic funeral dirges; whilst the muffled bass tone
prevents much of the material from coming across as truly crushing, the hazy
sound does lend these songs a strange and slightly unnerving atmosphere. And,
like Black Mayonnaise, Jason seems to be at his best when operating in the less
conventional spheres of songwriting. The soundscape pieces like ‘Deuteronomy
(After The Beginning)’ and ‘Enter The Desolate Woods Of Fear’ are especially
atmospheric and really add something to the album, and are often more
captivating than some of the doomier fare on offer.
Standing at a well over an hour, ‘Wizardrone’
is quite a mammoth undertaking, but unlike some doom odysseys, doesn’t quite
feel cohesive enough to warrant its lengthy running time. A little trimming
would ultimately result in a better listening experience, but there’s still
enough bizarre, acid-fried outsider doom on offer here to entice the more
adventurous listener. Jason seems to have a knack for conjuring up strange
atmospheres, with much of the record feeling like the aural equivalent of an
extremely warped Hammer Horror VHS, and it should be pretty interestingto
watch him hone his craft further on future recordings.
