SKULL MOUNTAIN!
Many of you have already heard about the four-label, cross-continental compilation that goes by the name ‘Skull Mountain’ (2018). I have had my copy for a couple of weeks now and am still floored by how great the music sounds on the vinyl. I was going to review it, and this is still a review, but I wanted to dig for a little more in-depth detail about how this one of a kind compilation came into existence. So, being the intrepid little journalist I am, I asked Ripple Music head Todd Severin about how Skull Mountain came to be.
Concerning the origin of the project, Todd says, “The idea started when I was talking with Ric from Twin Earth Records about how we could maybe work together on a project. I’ve always believed that cooperation and collaboration helps the scene grow and a 'rising waters lift all boats’ sort of philosophy. As we were chatting, the idea of a split LP came up with one band from each label. However, with time, the idea continued to grow so that it was two USA labels and two European labels, then each label getting its own side to showcase its bands. It was agreed that it would be a standard compilation, but a showcase of all-unreleased tracks.
“From there,” Todd continues, “DHU and Kozmik Artifactz came on board quickly and all four of us brainstormed and worked together. We’d played with the idea of a four-element theme, with the obvious Ripple, Twin Earth and Kozmik being water, earth, air. DHU had already been associated with fire, so it worked out well and we commissioned Steve Janiak to create the interior gatefold based on a tarot card concept of the four elements. We’d commissioned Erskine Designs to incorporate the four-element theme into the cover art, but in the end, we changed it to the art reflecting the name, 'Skull Mountain.’ It was a year-long project, much smoother than you could imagine.”
This labor of love, over a year in the making, spawned four sides of absolutely killer music from bands like Vokonis, The Watchers, Haunted, Disenchanter, Youngblood Supercult, and many others we’ve featured in these pages over the years. The album is packed with amazing music. I purchased my copy from Ripple, so the vinyl itself is a blue-themed water element. Purchasing from the other labels will net you a different color for each, which obviously coincides with the elemental theme of the inside gatefold art.
Speaking of the art and layout, that was also a joint effort, with Youngblood Supercult’s Bailey Gonzalez doing the layout and DHU head Robert Black being the art director. Steve Janiak did the tarot card art inside, and Mark Erskine was responsible for the front and back covers. Skull Mountain is a true collaboration in every aspect of the word and something that those of us lucky enough to acquire will always treasure as an integral part of our collection.
Musically, the sound is as enormous as the footfalls of a thundering herd of brontosaurus. The tone does change a bit from side to side, likely due to each label’s choice to cater to a different style: doom, sludge, stoner, psychedelic, etc. The sonics of each side are very much in sync with that idea. My personal favorite is the Ripple Music side, but each one is equally as impressive as the one before it, though for differing reasons. Tony Reed of Mos Generator and his Heavy Head Recording Company does an admirable job of mastering for vinyl and bringing a feeling of cohesiveness to all four sides.
If you can manage to still snag one, each label has only 125 of their respective theme and color (500 in sum). Available at Ripple Music, Twin Earth Records, D.H.U Records, and Kozmik Artifactz. Doomed & Stoned will be giving away a copy on our Facebook page this week, so if you’re not subscribed to it, now’s the time!
Track Listing
WATER: Ripple Music
- The Watchers – “Starfire” (Cosmic Nebula Mix)
- Kingnomad – “Dewer’s Hollow”
- Blackwülf – “The Tempest” (Black Tide Mix)
- Vokonis – “Celestial Embrace”
EARTH: Twin Earth Records
- Alastor – “Blood on Satan’s Claw”
- Kabbalah – “Abomination”
- Stars That Move – “Give It All Away”
- Haunted – “Crossmoth”
FIRE: DHU Records
- Disenchanter – “More Evil Than Thou”
- Dawn – “Day of the Lord”
- Witch Ritual – “Drawing Down The Moon”
- Youngblood Supercult – “Sticky Fingers”
AIR: Kozmik Artifactz
- The Heavy Eyes – “Home”
- Devil Electric – “Devil’s Bells”
- Red Spektor – “Devil’s Keeper”
- Hair Of The Dog – “My Only Home”
Blackwülf Treats Us To Another Hot Slice of New LP ‘Sinister Sides’
It’s hard, nay, impossible, not to get caught up in the groove of ‘Sinister Sides’ (2018), the forthcoming third LP from Oakland stoned-doomers BLACKWULF. Is it hard rock? Definitely. Is it heavy metal? Hell, yeah! Regardless of how you classify the Blackwülf sound, it is a wicked, wild ride. The band remains unchanged from its formation in 2012, with the vocals of Alex Cunningham leading the charge, and guitarist Pete Holmes, bassist Scott Peterson, and drummer Dave Pankenier providing some very convincing artillery. This continuity has paid off not only in a tight live act, but song writing that continues to get sharper and more mature from one record to the next.
If you like Black Sabbath, only charged with a little more of that shake, rattle, and roll, Blackwülf really deliver on the goods in Sinister Sides. It’s got an infectious rock 'n’ roll bounce that will pull in the stoners out there, grounded by a depth of character and underlying grit that continues to keep the doomers engaged. Founding member Pete Holmes gives us a fine rundown on the new record, as well the kind of firepower the band’s packing these days, in our interview with him below. You’ll be pleased to discover a guest appearance by Geof O’Keefe of Bedemon and Pentagram fame, as well, who contributes to three of these eight songs.
Blackwülf’s new LP releases on February 23rd via Ripple Music (which looks to be having yet another fantastic year of releases), at which time you can get it here. Today, you get an advance listen to the track, “Gate of Sorrow.”
Give ear…
Interviewing
Blackwulf
Guitarist Pete Holmes
This year, Blackwülf turns half-a-decade old. What’s it taken for Blackwülf to get where you’re at musically and as performers?
As with many bands that can stand the test of time, I think it all comes down to basics like friendship, personal motivation, and commitment. When I put Blackwülf together in 2012, I honestly made a conscious decision to only work on this project with friends. Coming out of other previous bands, I realized the importance of working with people that you can relate with personally, both in terms of musical styles and lifestyle. As a matter of fact, drummer Dave and I have been playing in rock bands together for nearly 30 years. Lifers. Through thick and thin, we have each other’s backs, remained tight friends, and grown up together as musicians.
Singer Alex and I were friends long before forming Blackwülf, so that was a natural fit. Bassist Scott was “the new guy” then, a local dude that I met through Alex, who was an immediate match for the group, and maintains the same dark and weird sense of humor as the rest of us. He fit right in immediately. You’ve got to be brothers in something like this. You’re working late nights, away from families, travelling far from home, doing weird shit, in sketchy areas, etc. It’s an amazing adventure. You gotta have warriors that you can count on, guys that are in it for the long haul.
There’s no doubt that having support from other sources is critical too: our record label, Ripple Music, has enabled us to grow and reach out to wider and wider audiences. It’s been awesome to witness their growth and unflagging commitment to heavy rock. On some levels, labels like Ripple and bands like us are on a mission to keep heavy rock out there, showing respect to the masters who came before us all, and turning the younger heads on to rocking out: getting them off the phones for a minute, away from the auto tune and digital trickery and back to the idea of a few hardcore people in a room making loud sounds with actual instruments – it’s a bit of a “calling” for a lot of people, and most definitely for Blackwülf.
Do you feel this is a stylistic and musical continuum from 'Mind Traveler’ through 'Oblivion Cycle’ to your new album, 'Sinister Sides’ or has it been more of a stylistic and musical evolution?
By most accounts, listeners have told us that Sinister Sides is a musical evolution of sorts for Blackwülf. Where Mind Traveler was our establishment album (where we were just introducing our sound) and “Oblivion Cycle” was the gateway album (where we formally entered into the musical universe that the band would inhabit), I think Sinister Sides is our most refined statement so far. The new album takes the tones and tunings that the band worked out on Mind Traveler with the riff-centric foundation of Oblivion Cycle and attempts to elevate those ideas into more formal songs and extended passages. It’s also the first recording where we feature a guest guitarist; in this case, Geof O’Keefe from Pentagram/Bedemon. His presence and performances on three of the album’s eight tracks is outstanding. Our recordings, moving forward from here, is anyone’s guess, but the general sense is that future albums will continue to be written with the continued orientation around vocally driven songs with heavy riffs, much like the approach of the more classic-era bands that we have always consciously echoed.
You’ve got to be brothers in something like this.
I’m really excited about debuting new material from the band’s new LP. Would it be possible to give us a little bit of a walk-through of the tracks on 'Sinister Sides’?
Sure. The album opens with “Gate of Sorrow”, a tune that bassist Scott Peterson brought in. He had a great dark, droning, and plodding bassline that Alex jumps all over with his outstanding lyrics and bluesy vocal performance on the track. The song winds up with a kind of Hellacopters/Thin Lizzy amped up ending, which is super fun to play.
The next tune is the title track, “Sinister Sides”, for which we have a video recently circulating. This is an up-tempo riffer with nods to UFO and Fu Manchu; even a little John Garcia in there. Geof O’Keefe rips some great leads and even bangs a gong on this jam.
Next song, “Waiting on Tomorrow” slows things down with a ballad-like tune played on 12 string acoustic with some rhythm dubs from my Fender Jazzmaster and Fender Twin with deep reverb and tremolo, to create a far away, lonesome kind of vibe. This song was especially satisfying to record, with a really strong vocal from Alex, mining some mid '70s classic rock, like Kansas or Nazareth. Was pleasantly surprised also with the lead break that I pulled out of my ass and played on a Gibson Memphis 62 VOS ES335.
Last song on Side One, “Dead to the World,” opens with some excellent production wizardry from the indispensable and masterful Justin Weis of Trakworx, our long-suffering engineer who runs a phenomenal studio in South San Francisco and is brilliant at what he does. He captures some backwards reverb on the intro which is flavored with guitar drenched in an Earthquaker Devices Afterneath pedal. Scott then kicks it in on bass, and the track winds up a real headbanger with another blistering Geof O’Keefe solo at its end. Lyrically, this tune is an unapologetic indictment on Donald Trump; his deplorable hypocrisy and embarrassing ignorance is the target of a great deal of outrage on this album.
Side Two opens with “Blind to Fate,” a sort of three-part song that begins with some evil flattened fifths chording with a whisper track doubling the standard vocal track from Alex, building to a Sabbath-y swing middle section which concludes with an extended instrumental jam that channels everything from Rush to the Allman Brothers – a really fun song to record.
“The Tempest” is a song that we’ve had in our canon for a while now, which was tracked at the Sonic Room in Livermore, CA and remixed with guitar dubs at Trakworx. This one is meat and potatoes Blackwülf, with a hard hitting, swinging riff that is a mainstay of our live show. Following this is a cover of Cream’s classic “Sunshine of your Love,” which features a heavy stoner take on that classic tune and oozes some great bluesy tones from Geof O’Keefe’s vintage Gibson Melody Maker.
The album concludes with “Battleline,” a song that was originally written for a possible collaboration with our brothers in The Great Electric Quest, from San Diego. This is a song-story that depicts a Viking battle and the emotions that circulate among the warriors just before staring death in the face. Tonally, I approached the track with a kind of Witchcraft/Neil Young Crazyhorse vibe, with a bluesy/vintage electric folk mentality. Our friend, Ron Graham, who played flute on the track “Dark Tower” on our previous album, sits in on this jam with some nice Hammond Organ and Leslie tones. In all, there’s likely to be a little something for everyone on the tracks of this album. Our goal was to make a record that would be created in much the same way that bands approached it in the classic rock era: to really just be us, independent of genre, and to create an “album experience” for the listener.
Would you say there’s a thematic link between these songs?
Yes, definitely. Lyrically, the album is really an overt attack on the deplorable performance of our current political leadership and the breakdown of human relationships. Alex’s writing has always been political and socially conscious. This album is a declaration of war against what we view as a very dangerous political machine that’s hijacked our democracy. The album explores the “Sinister Sides” that surround us – a humanity often devoid of credible leadership and moral fortitude. Mankind’s continued separation from each other as well as natural forces and the sickening of our planet. Really optimistic stuff, right?
Tell us a bit about the recording, production, and mastering process – who did you work with to lay down tracks, how long did it take, and what instruments, pedals, and amps did you find most helpful in this process?
This is our third record with Justin Weis at his Trakworx Studio in South San Francisco. So much great music has come out of that studio, and on his watch. At the end of every project, we are always all ready to throttle each other, but ultimately there is such a cool relationship between Blackwülf and Justin. I think that we all collectively buy into always trying to make the best tracks that we can there: Justin brings so much to the process, holds everyone to a high standard including himself, and his final mixes are brilliant and highly creative. As a band, we try to “play” the studio almost like another instrument, and Justin really steps up and contributes to this, big-time. We all push each other and make the time to experiment a bit, but not get too lost in the woods. It’s a blast to work with him. And it helps that he is a bona-fide science fiction geek like us. Again, this all gets back to the friendship thing from the first part of this interview: you really want to surround yourself with people that you trust and respect and can hang with.
Like on the previous two albums, we went full old school with the recording process: tracking all together for our basic performances, a live band in a room. We recorded our basics to 2” analog tape, full old school style, and then did overdubs in ProTools. The net sound has warm tape saturation for that authentic vinyl sound experience.
As usual, I went nuts with guitars and gear. My guitars on the album included a Gibson SG Standard and ’72 Gibson ES 335 for rhythm tracks, a Fender Jazzmaster, A Martin 12 string acoustic, A Gibson Memphis ES 335, and a Gibson Firebird. I only use tube amps: Laney, Orange and Fender. Scott tracked his bass with his Fender Precision and his Ampeg SVT along with some direct inputs to the board itself. It’s always a blast to bust out all of our horded up gear and lay it out in the studio and see where the instruments take you.
It’s a bit of a “calling” for a lot of people, and most definitely for Blackwülf…
Are you ready for another five years as a band? How do you feel as a new decade looms? What’s in your crystal ball for 2018 and beyond?
Definitely we’re ready. We will continue to do Blackwülf in the way that we like to do it: taking our time with things, keeping stuff real and authentic for us, not getting caught up in the rock star bullshit that we see sometimes out there. We will continue to try and innovate and lead as a band with our ideas and continue to be inspired to produce the best music for ourselves and our supporters. We will be ourselves, and not cave to some kind of aesthetic or “scene” that can be distracting to the process of being original. We will have fun with what we are doing. We will support new bands and help them as best we can. We will give back to the rock, as it has given so much to us. We will, inevitably, consume large quantities of beer and exacerbate our tinnitus symptoms. We hope to have everyone along for the ride!
SXSW: The Unofficial Showcases
This week, The Doomed & Stoned Podcast focuses on SXSW….well, sorta. Actually, the official SX events kinda suck this year, at least from the perspective of heavy music. Just a bunch of corporate hipster bullshit, but I mean, to each his own. What do I know? Good music is what I know! I sniff out the tunes, man. And the best action for your time and money is happening this week in unofficial showcases: Ripple Music’s Black Smoke Conjuring (Tuesday, March 14th) and SX Stoner Jam Free Show! 23 Heavy Tripped out bands (Wednesday, March 15th).
On the program (in order of play): White Light Cemetery, Psychotic Reaction, Salem’s Bend, DUEL, BoneHawk, Greenbeard, Buffalo Fuzz, Switchblade Jesus, Smokey Mirror, Plastic Daggers, Fox 45, Blackwülf, Crypt Trip, Great Electric Quest, Forming the Void, Ancient VVisdom, From Beyond, Illustrations, the Munsens, and Tia Carrera!
Dig deeper into the heavy underground with Doomed & Stoned’s free scene-by-scene compilations.
Doomed & Stoned Reviews
Blackwülf’s ‘Oblivion Cycle’
By Billy Goate and Melissa Marie
Oakland has one of the fiercest metal scenes on the planet right now, whether we’re talking the breakout success of High on Fire or underground rumblings of Kowloon Walled City, Lycus, Brainoil, Noothgrush, Dispirit, Abstracter, Beira, Catapult the DEAD, Swamp Witch, Brume, OVVL, and on the psychedelic side, Golden Void and Mondo Drag, to name a few recents. Out of this rich, festering cauldron the Blackwülf morphs to life, a true Bay Area original.
I filmed the foursome during their last jaunt through Eugene, Oregon (joined by Portland’s Black Snake - the two had just collaborated on the 'Acid Reign’ split) and I have to say Blackwülf is far and away one of my favorite bands to capture live. You can feel the conviction, the power, the love in every note performed, something that translates quite convincingly on the record before us.
After a successful debut in 'Mind Traveler’ (2014), Blackwülf have significantly upped the ante, returning with 'Oblivion Cycle’ on the California label Ripple Music (known for releasing some of the very best albums of the year, from Chron Goblin to Doctor Doom, KIND to Space Probe Taurus). Rising above the mediocrity of play-by-the-numbers radio rock, vocalist Alex Cunningham, guitarist Pete Holmes, drummer Dave Pankenier, and bassist Scott Peterson have put their intuition, enthusiasm, and skill together to bring us another ten exciting new songs, infused with bold, seventies-style riffs and intense vocals that are at once passionate, bluesy, and somber.
Ever have one of those days when you’re in a shit mood for no particular reason? This record acts as a fitting remedy. Between the relatable lyrics and heavy instrumentals, there is plenty of comfort to be found. Having heard the digital version of the record first, I hasten to add it was the vinyl pressing that ultimately brought this collection to life for me with its stunning presence and depth. Come join us as we give this extraordinary LP a track-by-track walk-through.
As the name hints, “Colossus” is a lively outing, with high energy rhythm and valiant riffage that becomes ever more compelling as the song intensifies. There are plenty of catchy, attention-grabbing moments here, as “Colossus” has everyone singing along with Alex Cunningham: “The system has threatened us all!” This is undoubtedly an allusion by the tremendous sci-fi movie, 'Colossus: The Forbin Project’ (1970), which anticipates the technological tyranny of the computer age. With the opener, Blackwülf have created an alluring sound with the kind of poise that reminded me 'Tempora Infernalia’ by North Carolina’s Demon Eye.
From here on, 'Oblivion Cycle’ just seems to get better and better. Who can resist the bittersweet verses of “Memories,” with Pete Holmes wielding some of his best Sabbath power chords and classic heavy metal flourishes, throwing in an emotive flourish now and again to complement the sentiment of Alex Cunningham’s sad, sad refrain, “We’ve been hanging onto dusted memories.”
Another early standout is “Acid Reign,” with its exuberant, rhythmic riffing, roaring vocals, and lyrics decrying the apocalyptic landscape as it:
Darkens the sky as the gloom it overtakes
Blinding the eyes of the common man
This could easily be christened the fan favorite (but then there are so many on the album), as Blackwülf take a page from Black Sabbath and The Sword, with an even stronger metallic edge and a wicked guitar passage that gives this song serious play-back appeal.
'Oblivion Cycle’ showcases Blackwülf’s ability to keep things fresh and appealing, as no two songs sound quite alike. Listen carefully to “Dark Tower,” a pure throwback to the folk-rock and protometal ballads of the 1970’s. I’m sure you’ll pick up on the woodwinds (c/o Ron Graham), which make such a fine compliment to the piece. While one may wish for a longer track (it clocks in at about two-and-a-half-minutes, acting more as an interlude), Blackwülf’s admiration for Led Zeppelin is nevertheless beautifully on display here. I would absolutely love to see what they could do with this approach in a future record.
Electrifying rhythm meets wicked riffing, next, in “The Locust,” easily one of the best tracks on 'Oblivion Cycle’ (I’m singing along with its distinctive cadence now: “He is the locust…desecrated by the locust”). Pete’s solo is perfectly placed here, never overwrought or showy, but right in line with the storytelling. This song, more than any other, pays homage to the epic style first established by Ozzy, Iommi, Butler, and Ward. It’s a stadium raising fist-pumper, for sure.
The second half of the album is no let down, either. “Wings of Steel” brings us old school traditional metal with an even heavier touch than we may have heard so far. An anguished Alex Cunningham cries out, “I won’t propagate their war machine, protecting the unknown,” referencing the treachery and devastation of political machinations in world affairs.
They will break you down
They will steal your hope
They will strip your mind
And they’ll crush your soul
Pete’s riffing couldn’t be more effective, joining Dave and Scott’s tight rhythm section and Pete’s on-point singing. Easy to see why this one was picked as an early single when the album was first announced.
“Faith Healer” is definitely a fun one to listen to, returning to the groovy rock style that Blackwülf seem most at home with. Things slow down and get doomy (but never too slow - Blackwülf are by and large an up-tempo band), as Alex rails against the manipulation and false hope of religious manipulators.
“Red Eyes” is an immediate attention-getter with the winding, mesmerizing lead that opens up the song. A highly active rhythm section syncs with an infectious riffing style and chorus that is a distinctive of Red Fang; it’s working exceptionally well here for Blackwülf.
The big finisher (and the longest track of the album at 5:50) is “March of the Damned,” the closest thing we have to a doom number, with its ballad-like chorus and wistful guitar work. I’ve received great reception whenever I’ve aired this one on the weekly radio broadcast of The Doomed & Stoned Show. The two-part song structure reminds me of Orchid (solemn opening, followed by an extended psychedelic breakdown), though Blackwülf keep to their disciplined runtime, opting to trim unnecessary fat for the most effective play possible.
Possibly the greatest thing about Blackwülf is their incessant, driving rhythms complimented by ripping guitar solos and commanding vocals. 'Oblivion Cycle’ is a supercharged ride cruising the dark, wet streets of the night; a record that will have your head banging and feet stomping from start to finish.
An Interview with Guitarist Pete Holmes
By Billy Goate
I filmed you guys on tour with Black Snake last year. One of the highlights of the show was gear you were using to hone your sound. We’d love to know what all you’re working with these days?
We have pretty much stuck with the same touring rigs that we brought into Eugene that night when you made that cool video, Billy. Dave on drums is still beating the shit out of a cool old 60’s Slingerland that I think he picked up from Sam Adato in San Francisco before Sam moved his shop to Eugene. That guy is so awesome…such a great resource for anything to do with rock drumming! Dave plays a variety of Zildjan cymbals and has his high hats outfitted with crash cymbals because he’s such a hard hitter. He busts kick pedals like constantly! Our bassist, Scott Peterson, still plays a Fender Precision with active and passive pickups and runs that through an Ampeg SVT and a vintage 8x10 Ampeg Fridge cabinet. He will occasionally use distortion, but gets a fair amount of grit by just driving the cabs with that great sounding head.
Alex still uses a variety of portable outboard gear with light delays for his vocals and a Moog vintage synth program for space effects. As far as guitars, I have always played Gibson SGs live in Blackwülf. In the studio I use my ’71 Gibson ES 335 for basic tracking. It has the vintage T Top pickups, which are some of my favorite pickups Gibson has ever made. I also like their 490Ts, which were all over our first record. I have received a sponsorship from Railhammer and I love their Anvil pickup, as well. Since you filmed us, I have picked up a silver 014 62 reissue Gibson SG Standard and outfitted that with John Birch Pickups, which has been my main guitar for the past year or so. I run that split through a 50 watt Orange Rockerverb head and a Laney TI100. My pedal board is pretty modest with an Electro Harmonix Small Stone and a Morley wah. Needless to say, it makes one hell of a racket, for sure!
Talk to us about the similarities and differences between your first LP, ‘Mind Traveler’ (2014), and your latest, ‘Oblivion Cycle’ (2015).
Our new album, 'Oblivion Cycle’ really picked up where 'Mind Traveler’ left off, but was written with significantly more intention. Our whole thing with Blackwülf has always been based in the “what you see is what you get” mentality; we try to create authentic music that’s 100% true to us, not some “scene” or some other trip, which can be rendered for live audiences as well as sound great on vinyl. We are all pleased with what we put down on 'Oblivion Cycle.’ The band agreed from day one that Blackwülf’s base of bluesy, heavy classic metal is what we are all into, and we aren’t going to be otherwise too inventive, because that’s what we love, and that’s what our fans are into. Why change?
Lyrically, the themes of science fiction, aggression, and political/spiritual chaos are central to what Blackwülf has always been about, and 'Oblivion Cycle’ has really raised the bar for us on that account. Alex and Scott are really the drivers behind most of our lyrical content, and they have put some really cool shit down on this new record. I do all of the riff writing and most of the arranging and it’s been a good partnership so far. We have also consciously emphasized delivering “songs” over just “sounds” in our creative process; like the metal masters of the 70’s and early 80’s, we aspire for our records to tell stories and directly relate to listeners as much as take them on “sonic voyages.” We brought in our friend Ron Graham on 'Oblivion Cycle,’ who added some flute to a short piece called “Dark Tower” that I play with Alex on a 12-string guitar, which lends the album a bit of melancholy air and a hint of medieval mystery, which I dig, and is a departure for us. We recorded 'Oblivion Cycle’ at the same place as 'Mind Traveler’ (Trakworx in South San Francisco) and again with the very talented Justin Weiss, who co-produced this time around.
How was the recording, mixing, and mastering process for you this time around?
The process of making this album was very similar to the process we experienced on the previous LP and split single. Blackwülf has always tracked our music old school style: live to vintage two inch analog reel tape, with the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar playing together in single, fat sounding passes. For us, this gets to the core of what our band does best, which is to rock out live in a room together and to try and catch that live energy in our takes. For us, all great albums have that at their core: some physical nuances and interplay and organic communication between the players delivering the tunes, trying to catch that moment, the “lightning in the bottle.” We then dub vocals and lead tracks and other effects over this base in Pro Tools, using the digital suite to edit the performances there. We dressed the tracks with percussion and guitar effects from B rolls that allowed us to stretch out creatively, which added some freewheeling experimentation and spontaneity to this project. In the end, we just kind of did what we always have done: holed-up with a bunch of crazy dudes, ate a shitload of junk food and drank beer for days on end, rocked out, and just let the album kind of happen.
The album art rules! I could stare at it for others. What’s the story there
Good Christ, the album art. David Paul Seymour knocked it out of the park, as usual, for us on the cover of “Oblivion Cycle”. And, as usual, Blackwülf drove the artist that we worked with nearly insane, with all of our prattling and change orders. We are fucking impossible. We did the same to the incomparable Alan Forbes, who did our first album’s art. We did the same to Dirty Donny, a personal friend that won’t go to lunch with me since we tried to do art together…just joking! Seriously though, these guys are all so insanely talented and insanely busy and they gave us the time of day and we nearly killed them with our ramblings. Such great guys and great artists, and we are so very grateful to them. Blackwülf are all huge fantasy art fans: Frazetta and Roger Dean, Barry Smith and Steranko. We collect it, love it, and love the relationship of metal to fantasy art. So we are…um…particular.
In the case of 'Oblivion Cycle,’ we had David Paul Seymour incorporate some of the album’s song elements (The Locust, Dark Tower, Wings of Steel, etc.) into an imagined dragon Ouroboros figure. The Ouroboros is a classical symbol of the serpent devouring its own tail, which traditionally symbolizes the cyclic nature of the Universe. For the album, we took a doomier spin on this with darker imagery, with David creating an image symbolizing an “Oblivion Cycle” which is a cycle that we see our planet involved in, succumbing to self-perpetuating cycles of greed, chaos, fear and dehumanization. Our vocalist, Alex Cunningham, did all of the post art colorization and pre-press. Both these guys just nailed it for us. There is another killer piece that David did on the back of the album as well that’s a total knockout. Glad you like it, man!
Tell us about the Oakland scene. A lot of heavy, heavy sound rumbling from the Bay Area right now.
Yes! Oaktown. Home of the bumbling Raiders and the hapless A’s! And the #1 Golden State Warriors! Sports aside, there is metal a-plenty happening in places like the Golden Bull downtown, The Legionnaire, The Stork Club, the Oakland Metro Opera House, Eli’s and a ton of other venues. New bands like War Cloud and Lowcaster, and older bands like Castle and High on Fire are rocking the stoner metal scene really hard on our local turf. San Fran has Hot Lunch, Orchid, Hornss, Slough Feg and a band called Metallica to name a few. San Jose has Zed and a great band called Forgotten Gods that you may want to check out - they have a brand new record that is not to be missed. We are proud of our city and our bands, which in Oakland still emphasizes metal unity and a supportive scene. We have venues that are DIY and provide a nice hard core underground. For now, it is a fertile landscape for the doomed and stoned!
Finally, tell us what your plans are for a 2016 tour? What can you tell us at this early date?
We will be on the road in the spring. Back up to your neck of the woods, through Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. We will also be heading down through SoCal and back to Tucson where Dave and I are from. We are really trying to get Blackwülf over to Europe, where we sold a shit ton of Mind Traveler albums. We are actively trying to connect with folks over there, and would love to hear from any of your readers who could help us with that for summer 2016. In the meantime we will be gigging steadily with a break in November to record with Tim Narducci of the great SpiralArms on a split single with his amazing band White Witch Canyon that is coming out on Ripple early next year. We have an insane new tune worked up for that!
Blackwülf Announce 2nd LP ‘Oblivion Cycle’ on Ripple
By Billy Goate (Editor in Chief)
Our Bay Area buds BLACKWULF are back with an excellent new album to follow their debut LP, ‘Mind Traveler’ (2014). I first got to know Pete Holmes and the boys during their tour with Portland stoner-sleaze rockers BlackSnake and captured their performance (still one of my favorite films) when the joint tour when it stopped in Eugene, Oregon.
Their latest venture is called Oblivion Cycle (2015) and was recently announced that Ripple Music would be taking Blackwülf into the fold, releasing the album in December. The label is responsible for recent releases such as Chron Goblin’s excellent Backwater, Sweat Lodge’s Talismana, DoctoR DooM’s This Seed We Have Sown, Space Probe Taurus’ Mondo Satan, the Geezer/Borracho split, Ape Machine’s Freak Valley show, and so much more. In other words, Blackwülf has found a very, very good home.
To give you just a taste of what you can look forward to, dig the new single “The Locust.” It’s got Sabbath-worship thundering through its pores. Alex Cunningham’s vocals are lusty, reverberating with power and authority of a metal god leading the charge to claim the devotion of metal listeners everywhere. Pete Holme’s axe-wielding skills have never been stronger, with riffs that will steal your heart, Indiana Jones-style. True to today’s presser, rhythm team of Dave Pankenier (drums) and Scott Peterson (bass) “prowl the musical feeding grounds of stoner rock, doom-cloaked soundscapes and vintage heavy metal.” The new LP is solid, through and through.
Well, hell, I’ve got the new track here for you, so why don’t you just give it a listen.
Oblivion Cycle comes out December 11th on Ripple Music and can be gotten here. Now, here’s the film I’m so proud of.
Concert Review: Blackwülf, Black Snake, Right Hand of Doom!
What were you doing Saturday night? I was shooting footage of three heavy bands that blasted into town and were in and out quicker than a duck fart. Headlining the Black Forest in Eugene, Oregon: Blackwülf from Oakland, California, joined by Black Snake from Portland, Oregon, both of whom were promoting a split 7". The bands found their way to the sleepy college town after playing with Disenchanter and Bitch School at the Kenton Club in Portland the night before. Support in this case was provided by Right Hand of Doom from Salem.
This was my first time hearing these guys, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of hackneyed retreads out there, but what sets Blackwülf apart is these four have tightly honed “Hessian Aggression Session” (as they call it)–with the distinction of a singer who can really, you know, sing. Alex Cunningham has probably been told this before, but he looks like a skinnier version of Pete Stahl of Goatsnake. Guitarist Pete Holmes is just plain enjoying himself (though, this may have had just a little something to do with free drinks). The rhythm section, likewise, is in fine form. Not to brag or anything, but this turned out to be some of the best concert footage I’ve shot to date, so my feelings will be really hurt if you don’t give it a watch/listen!
Making a rare appearance south of the Rose City, the rebel-rousing Black Snake really put the bite on Eugene, slithering into the Black Forest and striking hard with heavy, aggressive riffs played with seemingly endless intensity.
Black Snake is also featured in our compilation, Doomed & Stoned in Portland–a mammoth undertaking, encompassing some 75 bands in the greater Portland metro area.
These guys warmed up the audience and really shook the house! While the audio here is decent, it just doesn’t capture the low end that you have to feel to really appreciate. It rattles your bones and reverberates through your organs. Oh, and something funny: the sound guy warned Right Hand of Doom that they could not play “too loud,” which made me snicker just a little. It’s DOOM…I mean, what choice do you have?!