THE DOOMED & STONED PODCAST
Doom Chart Countdown (episode 2.8)We’re getting close to a new month, which means another edition of the Doom Charts is imminent. While you’re waiting, catch up with this month’s picks with Billy Goate from Doomed & Stoned and Bucky Brown from The Ripple Effect as The Doomed & Stoned Show presents the eight installment of the The Doom Chart Countdown!
INTRO
1. Taiga Woods – “Slow Burning” (00:39)
2. Sanhedrin – “Demoness” (04:08)
THE TOP 25
3. The Midnight Ghost Train (#25) – “The Echo” (18:30)
4. Toke (#24) – “Weight of the Word: (23:26)
5. Cities of Mars (#23) – "Envoy of Murder” (27:10)
6. Howling Giant (#22) – “Circle of Druids” (37:10)
7. Kal-El (#21) – “Atmosphere” (41:12)
8. Poseidon (#20) – “Chainbreaker” (46:17)
9. Devil Electric (#19) – “Lady Velvet” (58:37)
10. SHROUD EATER (#18) – “Another Skin” (1:02:27)
11. Monolord (#17) – “Dear Lucifer” (1:07:44)
12. Demon Eye (#16) – “In The Spider’s Eye” (1:22:03)
13. Venomous Maximus (#15) – “Spellbound” (1:25:37)
14. Greenbeard (#14) – “Love Has Passed by Me” (1:29:56)
15. Cortez (#13) – “Dead Channel” (1:37:58)
16. Elder (#12) – “Staying Off Truth” (1:42:54)
17. The Judge (#11) – “Darkest Daze” (1:53:12)
18. Olde (#10) – “Maelstrom” (2:04:22)
19. Sasquatch (#9) – “Window Pane” (2:10:28)
20. Destroyer of Light (#8) – “Whispers in the Threshold” (2:15:52)
21. High Priestess (#7) – “Earth Dive” (2:22:10)
22. Red Mountains (#6) – “Oak” (2:28:41)
23. Blues Funeral (#5) – “Shadow of the Snake” (2:33:37)
24. Eternal Black (#4) – “The Lost, The Forgotten, and the Undying” (2:44:12)
25. The Necromancers (#3) – “Black Marble House” (2:48:27)
26. Ruby the Hatchet (#2) – “Planetary Space Child” (2:54:18)
27. Youngblood Supercult (#1) – The Great American Death Rattle (3:03:27)
For more information on the albums featured in this month’s podcast, visit: www.DoomCharts.com
Tune in every Sunday afternoon at 3 pm PST / 6 pm EST / 11 pm GMT/UTC for The Doomed & Stoned Show on Grip Of Delusion Radio. Archived broadcasts at mixcloud.com/doomedandstonedofficial.
Dig deeper into the music of the heavy underground through Doomed & Stoned’s ongoing quarterly scene-by-scene compilation series, available por nada at doomedandstoned.bandcamp.com.
Thumbnail by Aaron Tataryn
BLUES FUNERAL Shells Renegade Riffs From Six Ton Wonder ‘Awakening’
~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~
By Papa Paul, with Billy Goate
It’s been about a year since we last checked in with the Houston foursome BLUES FUNERAL. Their new album ‘Awakening’ (2017) proves the fantastic first was no fluke. We heaped high praise on their Doom Charting debut LP, 'The Search’ (2016), with its infectious guitar play, unconventional rhythmic choices, and proggy throwback touches. Like its predecessor, Awakening evidences commitment to a pure '70s underground sound. In fact, this album is even more entrenched in the spirit of the era than the last. The few flourishes of modern stoner-doom that bled through The Search are non-existent this time around, and that suits this retroist just fine.
The new material is also more progressive than before. I’ve actually had some debate on this point with a few of my fellow reviewers. My take is that Awakening ventures further into a Wishbone Ash vibe, a band I considered more progressive than hard rock. True, Awaking does not go for full-on symphonic prog – this is guitar-driven material, enhanced mostly with the organ, some piano, and even a touch of Mellotron on one track. It’s the intricacies of the guitar work and accompanying keys that earn Awakening the progressive tag. The overall feel I get is that of the aforementioned British rockers, a band I neglected in my youth because they weren’t quite heavy enough, but which I’ve learned to appreciate as I matured in my musical tastes (there’s no beating the quality and skill of musicians like Andy Powell and Ted Turner). As with Wishbone Ash, heaviness is not the point with Blues Funeral, though there is plenty there to behold. Ultimately, this is all about the journey of the riff, the joy of collaboration, and the fusion of the blues rock with the vibrant sound of proto-metal. The net result is a fresh, exciting feeling that we’re venturing into uncharted territory.
Awakening will be just that for some of you: it will open up your ears to a new kind of stoner-psychedelic experience. Maurice’s guitar playing is, once again, off the charts fantastic. I hesitate to make any comparison to Uli Roth of early-Scorpions fame, but after spinning Awake a few times I confess a yearning to play Uli’s solo albums and have also been on an early Scorpions kick, too, thanks to Blues Funeral’s incredible release. I am hard pressed to think of a more impressive guitar performance. Jan’s vocals are impressive, too – very clean and very seventies.
With every listen, Awakening gets better and more impressive. For ears more modern than mine, these six tracks will possibly sound like the dreams you get after gorging yourself on a dinner of Sienna Root and Beelzefuzz, with a dish of Horisont for desert. Like all good art, it’s too much to take in at once and will thus continue to get a lot of play from me in the months ahead.
Awakening will be very high on my “Heavy Best” list this year and now I’m going to give you a chance to find out why. Today, Doomed & Stoned is reveals this exclusive listen to “Casimir,” the fifth song from Blues Funeral’s second full-length record. The album tears loose on August 25th on both CD and digital formats. Look for it soon at this location.
An Interview with Blues Funeral
Guitarist Maurice Eggenschwiler
Give us some insight into the gnarly little number we’re premiering today.
It’s a tune that Jan penned. “Casimir” is a title derived from Kazimierz, which was the old Jewish Quarter in Krakow, Poland where Jan spent some time growing up. So a big influence for the sound of the song was actually Hebrew Klezmer music, fused with a Latin vibe, fused with a more psychedelic feel these days. It’s more of a bohemian neighborhood, with cafes and music, but a lot of post-war history, too. I think it was just a very impactful place in Jan’s life. He was born in Poland and typically goes back every year. I think it was the last one we learned before hitting the recording studio. It was originally conceived to be largely acoustic in nature but we ended up making it a bit heavier in the studio and anchoring it with an acoustic with a very Spanish feel. Cory, our drummer, actually also has some backing vocals during some of the harmonies.
Jan actually told me that the Gypsy Kings had a hand in influencing the kind of sound he was hoping to achieve, in terms of an exotic vibe. We also layered in some piano and over the solos you can hear Jan playing some finger cymbals to amp up the feel of the tune. It’s very different from every other song on the record, but still locks into the overall feel of the album.
Who did your cover art and what’s its relation to the songs?
David Paul Seymour. The art was based on the lyrics to title track. Just an abstraction, as Awakening as a spiritual discovery. He got that from lyrics about walks upon the land and dark waters, and wanted to give it a dreamy vibe. Also, the foreground is an abstraction of a skull.
How would you compare 'Awakening’ to your debut album, 'The Search’?
Compared to the first record, I think all of us felt that this one carried a bit more of a cohesive vibe across the songs, from a sonic perspective. The leap from “Awakening” to “The Gathering Dust” goes from almost a '60s pop song to a song that includes elements of traditional doom. But even though there is a range in mood, the tone and tenor of the album feels more unified.
On The Search I think the gap from a song like “Palmdale” to a song like “Autumn Dream” was really wide. It’s fair to say that we were figuring out which elements of our various influences were going to shape our vision for this band. While I don’t think any limitations on what genres we care to explore truly exist, even now we still managed to cover a lot of ground with it, feeling a bit more unified from start to finish.
It’s really interesting, because there was a lot more complexity in the arrangements from a layering perspective on this album. Though some of the songs like “Awakening,” “Illusions,” or “Casimir” have more of a straight-ahead, traditional vibe, they were in some cases more challenging to record. The ascending, harmonized twin guitar leads that happen twice in "Awakening,” for instance, were a real challenge. Though, technically speaking, “Casimir” is a fairly simple tune, the Spanish rhythm and feel on the song took us some time to really feel comfortable with. We wanted it to evoke a certain mood and to have a certain feel for us, which ultimately I think we nailed.
Are there guest vocals in “Firedrake” or is that you and Jan hitting those high notes? You two have quite a range, if so!
There were a lot of “new” things that happened on this record. As you noted, “Firedrake” features a guest vocalist. Cory’s sister Kelly actually stepped up for that one. Given that both Jan and I sing in the band, and have thoughts about phrasing, delivery, etcetera, it was a challenge to give over some creative freedom in certain moments. There were definitely compromises that had to be made on both sides to maintain the stylistic integrity of the song, but to also give Kelly the freedom she needed to feel like the performance was truly hers. The result on that, I think, was great. A lot of people who have gotten an early preview of the album have had kind things to say about that tune, in particular.
What are some of the other things you experimented with on Awakening?
On “The Gathering Dust,” there’s a bit of Mellotron layered in during some of the heavier moments of the song. I actually played those parts on the recording. They’re exceedingly simple – and it’s not a technical feat, by any means – but it was a new experience for me to not only play, but record keys. I never do that. The addition of Mellotron was also new. We’ve never done that before. During “Casimir,” Jan played some finger cymbals (I think they’re called zills, they’re typically used by belly dancers) during the solos to create a very mystical percussive sound that added to the overall feel of the tune. So that was a new instrument and a new idea for Jan to carry out in studio.
We used acoustics on the first record, but I think their roll on this one was more dominant in adding texture to several songs and more experimental. During “Awakening,” at times, you can hear a Nashville strung acoustic over some of the chorus parts. That added some unique, almost 12-string sounding textures to that tune and opened it up. Clean piano is another instrument that made an appearance in a few places on this record above just organ. Doing that in “Shadow of the Snake” with a guitar solo that’s only accompanied by piano was a big challenge from a performance perspective. You don’t have the big band to hide your mistakes, so both instruments have to be spot on. Then in “The Gathering Dust” in the choruses, we layered two distorted guitars, a clean piano, and an acoustic guitar, along with a three-part vocal harmony – another new thing for this record – to create a very lush vibe that just wasn’t present on the first record.
Overall, the sound and feel of this record is decidedly more vintage than the first, and I think much more progressive in its leaning. It covers jazz, prog, blues, hard rock, metal, and even world music, all while maintaining a consistent feeling throughout.
Papa Paul’s Groovy Reviews
By Paul Rote, with Billy Goate
Naked Drivers
Brazil strikes again, this time not with doom, but with the smell of diesel and burning rubber. NAKED DRIVERS are a retro seventies-styled foursome from the stunning coastal city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte (I mean, you’ve got to see these beaches). Their sound harkens back to the time right before NWOBHM exploded on the heavy scene. ‘Hot Like A Fever!’ (2016) had me reminiscing about forgotten greats like Riot, Montrose, Moxy, and to some extent very early Accept (who went on to become legends in their own right). Naked Drivers offer tribute to the sound that transitioned the seventies into the eighties. Their high-energy rock 'n’ roll with aggressive drumming, loose riffs, and bursting guitar solos delivered with a melodious package was once the mainstay of the mid-to-late-seventies.
Leo Martíne (guitar), Wagner Ramalho (bass) and Fábio Riváz (drums, or as the Brazilians call 'em batería) capture all of this admirably in this outstanding four-song debut, with the highlight being Phillipe Brilhante’s brilliant singing. He really nails that distinctive UFO, Free, Bad Company vibe, bringing us aggressive singing that holds on to harmony and protracted notes. 'Hot Like A Fever!’ was especially enjoyable for me because this style was so short-lived. It was faster, more forceful, than most of the heavy music of the seventies, but quickly morphed into something much more aggressive still (power metal, thrash, speed metal). I have a hunch you’ll take an instant liking to this EP - not to mention the manageable length leaves you thirsty for more.
White Wail
Last year, Eugene, Oregon psychedelics Andrew Gallup, Halden Hoodenpyl, and Sean Loos of WHITE WAIL released a demo that generated a lot of anticipation for a rumored full-length. Man, they did not disappoint me, either. Here are seven stonerized space jams that will appeal to everyone from fans of modern heavy psych to aficionados of the retro seventies sound.
In order to properly review this, we really need to understand 'I’ (2016) as two separate parts. The first half echoes a Zeppelinesque vibe, while the second ventures into unexplored realms entirely. As teen who cut his teeth on the music of Led Zeppelin during middle school and high school, I swear I had a flashback while listening to White Wail that took me clear back to the feel-good era. Sean’s vocals are so Robert Plant it’s scary. The passion and power are there, along with his technique, yet the vocalist maintains his own identity (so much so I actually caught myself feeling frustrated thinking, “That’s not how Plant would sing that part!”). Suffice it to say, I had my mind blown more than a time or two when the singer nailed it.
The comparisons aren’t limited to the vocals, though. The riffs, song structure, and psychedelic improvisations are the kind the London band was famous for (particularly in their live shows). Sean Loos lays down some of the best leads this side of Earthless, and I am left amazed. Here we depart from the Zep comparisons, for the mix of stoner riffs, doomy bass lines, sludgy space jams take on a more distinguished character. I’m certain we’ll come to recognize White Wail by this stylistic imprint in subsequent recordings. A blogger friend of mind is earmarking this release as a potential Album of the Year. I’m placing it my Top Ten and definitely see this as one of 2016’s best guitar albums. If you’re a regular here at Doomed and Stoned, 'I’ appears to be tailor made for our readers.
Blues Funeral
BLUES FUNERAL are among the very best to emerge from the retro heavy scene. That compliment bears a lot of weight nowadays with the influx of great seventies-style band (see That 70’s Compilation, released by Doomed & Stoned in June). The band says that The Search “is as much a reflection of our love of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Cream, Atomic Rooster, Wishbone Ash, and countless others, as well as more modern metal leanings.” I couldn’t agree more with this assertion. I pick up on so many great influences, including Spooky Tooth, Nazareth, Triumph, Thin Lizzy, Legs Diamond, early Styx, and so on.
I’m quite certain you’ll be taken in by 'The Search’ for its compelling blend of guitar solos, vocal harmonies, and swirling organ play (something that has been neglected for decades, but is coming back into vogue this year). The riff worshippers among us will find some very tasty nuggets in here, too. The thoughtful, at times complex, songcraft is an enduring strength of 'The Search’ (2016), with moments that can only be described as ingenious - sure to capture the hearts of stoners out there. My biggest dilemma is Where to place this on my Best of the Year list. After the explosion of activity in 2015, who could have foretold the fortunes of 2016? While there are many noteworthy albums to wade through, The Search is one you do not want to miss.
The Hypnagogics
Female fronted occultish blues rock (or FFOBR for short) is a term I coined to describe a style that has proliferated quite successful in the first half of this decade, and shows no sign of waning (as documented in The Enchanter’s Ball compilation). Even though I can’t say the band’s name without spraining my tongue, for some reason, these five Swedes are definitely the complete package. THE HYPNAGOGICS have done a very good job of blending psychedelic rock and stoner blues with a cryptic occult atmosphere that will surely appeal to fans of Ruby The Hatchet, Jess & The Ancient Ones, and Blues Pills. A short and sweet review to be sure, but 'Born To Lose’ (2016) is an easy one to recommend. I think you’ll dig it.
Blues Pills
Well, speaking of BLUES PILLS, have you heard the new record? 'Lady In Gold’ (2016 - Nuclear Blast Records) is really great! I’ve heard some negativity about it. For one, it’s not a clone of their first album, so people wanting to hear more of the same may have been left disappointed. Blues Pills, however, are not content with complacency. Like true artists, they continue pushing the envelope in the retro rock genre. In this case, by incorporating several styles of seventies hard rock, with a renewed interest in the organ and piano. That includes, by the way, FM radio music from that decade, for example I hear hints of Elton John. Fret not if you were attracted to the Swedes for the kaleidoscopic vibrancy of “High Class Woman,” for this is still the beloved female-fronted occultish blues rock we fell in love with! Lady In Gold makes for a great spin when you’re in the mood for something other than pounding rifforama.
Slow Season
Retromania is in high gear in SLOW SEASON’s explosive third album, 'Westing’ (2016 - RidingEasy Records), which firmly establishes them as one of the leaders of the scene. The quartet from Visalia, California gifted us with some real gems on their first two albums, though the band seemed a tad unfocused in search of the right stylistic balance. On Westing, however, Slow Season have definitely found their sound. The eight songs here are tight from start to fin. You’ll get 37 minutes of hard-driving, seventies-style hard rock and heavy metal. I’m reminded of mid-period Led Zeppelin as I hear those jazzed-up heavy blues that played so well on Presence and Physical Graffiti. It takes a band of rare form and savvy to pull that off. My favorite number on the album is “Damascus,” which reminds me of Jethro Tull, Lucifer’s Friend, even Iron Claw. Slow Season have reached a level of maturity on Westing seldom achieved. My closing description of the album is a tight, precise, and passionate proto-metal masterpiece.
MaidaVale
This is one of those albums I just can’t stop playing! It’s a protometal retro-rocker that reminds me of Dunbarrow, whom I reviewed earlier this year. MAIDAVALE are a wicked band from Fårösund, Sweden made up of Linn Johannesson, Sofia Ström, Matilda Roth, and Johanna Hansson. In 'Tales Of The Wicked West’ (2016 - Sign Records) these four women break with convention and stir a dynamic funk into the hard rock mix, which many forget was a big part of the music of the seventies. The nine captivating songs deliver on originality in a way that is seldom achieved in contemporary recordings. MaidaVale remind me of Led Zeppelin, in that they were masters of diversity and originality, yet always recognizable for being Zep. I don’t know if MaidaVale will go on to produce similar results over multiple albums, but their premier full-length is noteworthy for its freshness, ingenuity, and diversity of concept - all tied together with remarkable continuity in a single glorious album.
The drumming, in particular, really stands out as excellent, providing a vivacious, funky beat that is foundational in so many ways to the success of the album. Some very accomplish bass playing rounds out the rhythm section, with admirable funkadelic technique that is heavy enough to please both the Doomers and Stoners among us. The guitar work is vivacious and jazzy (there are some truly excellent leads here). At times, I’m reminded of The Beatles song, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” from 1968 - not so much because it sounds like it, but because the guitar, well, gently weeps. Then there’s the best part of this album: the vocals. Oh, those glorious vocals! Delivered with in similar fashion to Dunbarrow or Demonhead (must be a Nordic thing). The low tenor range is quite haunting, at times, yet can also conjure a bluesy lounge tone that will melt your soul.
The lyrics are highly intelligent, touching upon the human experience with poignancy and depth. The song “Colour Blind” is about racism. And my favorite song, “Find What You Like and Let It Kill You” is actually a candidate for Song of the Year. In conclusion, MaidaVale’s Tales Of The Wicked West is the complete package, delivering a radiant stoner-psychedelic vibe inspired by the great bands of the '60s and '70s, with touches of protometal doom and FFOBR. Do not miss this - it is special!
Lightbulb Vaporizer
The trippy opening of 'Free The Leaf’ (2016) gives you a good idea of what you’re in for. LIGHTBULB VAPORIZER is a band that’s interested in composing interesting music, music that makes you feel like you’re in a certain time and place. For me, it was waking with the sun on the floor somewhere in Portland after a night of psychedelic travels and learning that my mind hasn’t decided yet that it wants to come back home. I’ve seen documentaries on the brain and it has always been fascinating to me how brain surgeons toughing certain portions of the brain can trigger memories, feelings of deep empathy, even smells and otherworldly sensations. Lightbulb Vaporizer seems intent on doing something like that with their music, as if the bands members looked at each other and said with a mischievous smile, let’s see how disruptive proggy psychedelic can be. Technically, this isn’t really doom metal or stoner rock; it dabbles in each and transcends both. In this way, I liken Lightbulb Vaporizer to the Oregon band Psyrup or the Washington band Weeed, who have made their concerts something you can trip out to even if you don’t have a paper heart at hand.
Stone Witch
What a collection of riffs this is, from Phoenix foursome STONE WITCH. If any band represented the ideals of both the doomed and stoned side of heavy music, this is it. Searing guitar leads that made me wonder whether I cued a Down CD by mistake. The vocals are perhaps the most unique facet of the band, and many fans and reviewers have been at a loss for words for how to describe them. At times, they reminded me of Ozzy (“Dark Goddess”) and in other songs something more akin to the harmonies of Bang! (“Wind Walker”). Jayare Robbins sings on a higher pitch than most rockers (sorry no dirty growls here), but it definitely makes the overall vibe more accessible. 'Order of the Goat’ (2016) could be just the gateway drug you need to get your friends into the doom metal and stoner rock!
In this episode of the Doomed & Stoned Podcast, BillyGoat interviews Joe from Holy Spider Promotions about the Sheffield doom-sludge all-dayer, ‘Doomlines II’ (taking place July 23rd in Sheffield). Also in the 'cast: interviews with Cave of Swimmers, Attalla, and Badr Vogu. Plus an exclusive preview of the new album by Blues Funeral!
Blues Funeral - “Harbinger”
Iced Out - “Death Riders”
WORT - “A New Culture of Profound Optimism”
Shrykull - “The Thought Did Not Count”
Under - “Suicide by Cop”
Kurokuma - “18.2 Tons”
Boss Keloid - “Cone”
11Paranoias - “Lost To Smoke”
Archelon: “Blood on the Sabre”
Cave of Swimmers “The Prince of the Power of the Air”
Attalla - “Thorn”
Badr Vogu: “Narcotically Opaque”
Blues Funeral
Talk Debut, Leak “Harbinger”
It takes a lot to bring a smile and a smile to this jaded listener, but I’ll be damned if BLUES FUNERAL didn’t go and steal my heart. Our own Paul Rote (of Papa Paul’s Groovy Reviews) raves that Blues Funeral is “Potentially the best seventies retro band to date.” The Houston quartet is definitely among the most interesting bands I’ve heard lately, fusing proto-metal sensibilities with flashy heavy metal soloing and progressive, psychedelic rock. It’s a vision that Maurice Eggenschwiler (guitars, vocals), Jan Kimmel (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Cory Cousins (drums), and Gabe Katz (bass) with brilliance and flair in the new album ‘The Search’ (2016), which releases July 30th (you can get it here).
The song you’re about to hear, debuted exclusively through Doomed & Stoned, is a great example of the band’s stunning knack for songcraft. “Harbinger” makes a statement straight away, with Maurice and Jan (aka El Janni) channeling the fun show-off days of 80’s guitar glory, though always grounded in the strong musical sensibilities of the decade before it. We might expect the vocals to compete with these dueling axes, but Maurice (the lead, in this case – he and El Janni share vocal duties throughout the record) brings a savvy calm to the riff-storm. Cory and Gabe keep the rhythm section focused and chugging along like a train full of dynamite heading for a hot date.
Stick around afterwards. We’re about to meet up with one of the key players behind Blues Funeral, Maurice Eggenschwiler. I asked for a few moments of his time to get to a rare inside look at the makings of the music, as well as the dynamics of the band, the gear they’re sporting, and their experience recording The Search.
It looks like a good portion of the members also play(ed) in Sanctus Bellum, which is more doom-focused. How did the decision come about to hone Blues Funeral’s sound in on “a blend of 60’s and 70’s inspired rock with a metal twist”?
That’s true. Everyone in Blues Funeral but Gabe is Sanctus Bellum alumni. While a guitar-centric sound and lots of lead work was always a part of the Bellum formula (and certainly has remained a part of our sound in Blues Funeral), we never really had an outlet for some of the more melodic stuff we have been able to get down on this record. We tend to apply a lot more chord extensions (i.e. minor and major 7 chords, add 9 chords, minor 11 chords, dominant chords, etc.) that are at home in prog and jazz, but that wouldn’t have fit within Bellum. We also used the Hammond sound very sparingly in Bellum and it obviously plays a much bigger part in Blues Funeral’s sound. It became something Jan and I talked about wanting to do eventually and ultimately found time to do when the band went on hiatus in November of 2014.
That said, having played together in Sanctus for five-plus years, there are certainly aspects of that sound that have seeped into some of the writing for Blues Funeral; for folks who have heard the song we released on our Bandcamp, ‘Paragon of Virtue’, you can hear traces of Sabbath and some doom alongside our influences that are much more focused on late 60’s and early 70’s influence.
The genesis of Blues Funeral’s sound can be traced to the fact that Jan and I have a shared affinity for a lot of the music that came out of the 60’s and 70’s. The two of us are very taken with bands like Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Atomic Rooster, Procol Harum, etc. that all have a much more melodic approach, owe a great deal of their sound to the use of harmony (instrumentally and vocally), and to a certain degree rely on the application of the Hammond organ. So it becomes a bridge between this love of a bygone era and the metal that courses through our veins that can’t be denied!
What’s the secret to getting that really “authentic” proto-metal sound? What do you have to do different instrumentally or rhythmically to achieve it?
(laughs) I’m sure there are a lot of folks out there that would say that you need to dial the bass back, crank the mids, and put the treble up quite a bit as well with a cleaner gain setting on an amp that has the volume blasted. That’s kind of the idea behind the Ritchie Blackmore tone: get a naturally overdriven amp tone that way. For us it’s a combination of things. My approach to guitar tone has probably a little more of a modern bite to it. Jan’s tone tends to be a little more vintage. The blend of those two sounds coupled with Gabe’s bass tone that we like to keep fairly up front in the mix gives us our unique dynamic.
Cory’s jazz and groove-driven approach to the drums keeps our songs grounded. Musically or rhythmically, it kind of goes back to what we talked about before – chord character, constructing catchy riffs, attention to groove, vocal harmonies, and instrumental harmonies. Those are a lot of the things that are a natural part of our approach. Then add in some Leslie sound on the organ and some phaser or Univibe on the guitar and you have it!
Speaking of Gabe, what are the challenges (or conversely, the advantages) of playing an upright bass in this genre of music, as opposed to a bass configured for heavy music?
That might be a bit of a misconception. Gabe has a Master of Music in Bass Performance and a Post Grad diploma from the Manhattan School of Music. He has performed in full time orchestras in South Africa, China and Singapore as well as jazz ensembles all over Asia where upright bass was his focus, but he has played electric bass in various bands prior to Blues Funeral.
His classical and jazz leanings really compliment what we’re trying to do in Blues Funeral and have helped craft our tone. The advantage of his musical background is that it allows him to lend a fresh perspective on the music that we write that might be a little bit outside of what’s common in metal. All of that said, in Blues Funeral, he actually plays on both a 4-string Ibanez lawsuit Rickenbacker from the 70’s and a 5-string Fender Deluxe jazz bass.
Impressive! So can you walk us through the new album, from the outside (cover art) in (track-by-track or highlights)?
Absolutely. Since inception, the band has had a longstanding collaboration with artist, David Paul Seymour. We’ve done two t-shirt designs with him so far and he was the only person we wanted to work with for the album cover. We basically presented him with a concept: the title of the album has dual significance for us as it is both the name of the first song we arranged as a band and reflects our search as a band to discover our new musical identity.
The image he came up with I think was largely inspired by the lyrics to the title track on the album and this idea. The dark figure on the cover is meant to appear small relative to his surroundings to reflect the magnitude of his journey ahead…he’s lost in this terrain but he’s searching with hope and purpose. The figure in the sky is meant to be a sort of otherworldly apparition hovering above him like a dream. Her hair is literally the sky. She symbolizes something greater than him with hands out beckoning him. She’s a representation of something he’s striving for.
As far as the tracks themselves…
Autumn Dream
This track was started when we were still playing heavily in Sanctus Bellum but never completed at the time. It starts off with an ethereal chordal passage that swells into some distorted harmonized guitar and locks into a groove that rides the song out to the finish. Lyrically it tells the story of a man that is returning to the scene of a murder, and you start to get the feeling he’s done this before…the story ends with his death as well. The true meaning of this song is about the pursuit of the idyllic. Trying to attain perfection and then destroying it. In some ways it’s an Icarus tale.
Harbinger
Melodic in its design, this song weaves through some cool harmonic minor concepts, has an awesome progressive passage in the middle with layered acoustics, and a sweet harmonized guitar outro. It’s a brooder. I’ll get into more of this one later since you’re streaming it!
Planet Void
This track takes more of a NWOBHM approach in its musical construction and has some pretty high flying lead work on it. Some cool vocal harmonization as well. The lyrics are a reflection on the state of our world and the things we’ve done to destroy it. Some of these things include chasing after short-term bullshit and not truly evaluating what is valuable and special in our all-too-brief lives.
Paragon of Virtue
This tune is a slower piece that I’ve recently been told reminds folks of Deep Purple, Bloodrock, Wishbone Ash, Sabbath, and maybe even a sprinkling of Captain Beyond. That’s possibly one of the greatest compliments I think I’ve received on this tune haha. Lots of organ and some very proggy moments on this one. Lyrically, it’s somewhat about cronyism and the abuses that are often perpetrated by people in power. It’s perhaps a bit of a clarion call for reprisal.
The Search
This was the first song that we arranged as a band and possibly the most psychedelic sounding track we play. It’s definitely got the most pronounced use of organ. There’s a ripping 1:30 ish organ solo that hits three quarters of the way through. There’s also a very cool guitar theme that Jan wrote that recurs after each of the choruses and ultimately ends the song.
Lyrically, it has to do with Jan’s personal search for things in life and the various journeys, both physical and emotional, that he and many others have had to go through in order to find themselves. As stated earlier, it also mirrors the band’s search for its identity and it has so many different parts and themes as a reflection of that.
Palmdale
By far the heaviest tune on the record. Though it’s very old school in its construction it also has a modern edge to it. The mid-section has a very cool break that culminates in a C major 13 to a minor 13 chord…it’s those chord extensions! Lyrically this song deals with losing a dear person and not having been as available for them and others as the subject would have liked to be.
“Harbinger” really is an incredible track. I’m fascinated by how you guys put that one together. There are a lot of intricate moments and fine contrasts.
We’re really happy with the way this one turned out. It’s definitely a bit of a brooder. Lyrically this song is meant to give off a bit of a creepy sort of Innsmouth vibe with a ragged apparition with eyes of coal that’s looming towards you sipping from some ancient chalice while horrors lurk beneath a still flowing river and no light shines overhead. I hope some people read the lyrics and go, “Gee that’s kind of unsettling.” The song itself was written pretty early on in the running, but I don’t think we played it live until maybe a year or so into the band’s lifecycle.
The subtext of the lyrics is about the death of Sanctus Bellum. The pre-solo refrain that is very stark with just two vocals and guitars discusses a dragon ship, a reference to a Viking funeral ship that’s sailing off into this nether realm, ablaze, with its passengers dead aboard haha. When the band went on hiatus in 2014, it was a way of achieving some lyrical catharsis.
Today, we’re all good friends, hang out regularly, and on occasion still play some one-off shows. We had a great time sharing the stage with our brothers in Apostle of Solitude last September and it was great to jam on those old tunes. Last thing I’ll say is that one of my favorite things about this track is the mid-section of the song. The studio we recorded in happened to have this gorgeous Taylor acoustic that we ended up using on this track and on Paragon. But you can really hear the life in the guitar and the strings layered over the mid-section of this tune in particular. Jan did a terrific job orchestrating and playing that part!
You’ve had a lot of impressive gigs with the greats of doom metal and stoner rock. What is one of your most memorable moments sharing the stage with the likes of Pentagram, Orange Goblin, Saint Vitus, Gates of Slumber, etc. (funny, horrific, or otherwise) – assuming you can share!
(laughs) Well, we recently opened for The Obsessed back in June of this year. About three songs into our set, I noticed that Wino was hanging out in the crowd watching our set. I thought he would maybe catch a tune and then walk back stage, but he watched the whole thing. I didn’t get a chance to chat with him until after they finished their set, but he got off the stage, we slammed beers and he said that he really dug our stuff. Then he asked us “Where’s the album?!” (laughs) which has been kind of a running joke for the band. Every show we play someone inevitably asks us where the album is and every time we have to say, “We’re working on it.” At the time of that show, we were just finishing mixing. I was so bummed we couldn’t just hand it to him.
Do you anticipate taking Blues Funeral on the road once the album is released?
Absolutely. I don’t know that we’ll necessarily do a lengthy tour just yet. We tend to play more regional shows in Texas and then sometimes we’ll get out to some cool fests in different parts of the country. Eventually, our goal is to go overseas and play a Desertfest or Freak Valley type festival. There’s a really cool dynamic with the people out there and I think our stuff would go over well.
That’s awesome, man. We’re definitely looking forward to seeing you guys do your thing live. Thanks so much for taking time to visit today with the readers of Doomed & Stoned!
The pleasure is mine! We love what you guys do!