HIGH REEPER lead guitarist Shane Trimble meets with D&S contributor Doob Solo for an in-depth, lively interview with a bit of sarcasm, a few laughs between friends, and some unexpected show-and-tell.

Take a full one-hour ride from the 1970s to present-day to get the lowdown on High Reeper’s earliest origins and on their new album Renewed by Death, including revelations about the band’s name, album artwork, and primary inspirations for their new songs.

In our favorite section of this interview, things get poetic when Doob spills her raw opinion of Renewed by Death while Shane listens and backs her on a vintage instrument. Curious? Watch and find out how it manifested!

High Reeper’s fresh album Renewed by Death emerges October 4th on Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

SOME BUZZ

High Reeper is a heavy metal band from Delaware/Philadelphia. Shortly after forming in 2016, they were signed to Heavy Psych Sounds Records and have since released two full-length albums and one split EP. They supported their first two releases with almost 90 dates over three tours in Europe alone, including stops at HPS Fests Rome and Innsbruck, Desertfest Berlin and Antwerp, headlining their venue at Desertfest London, Esbjerg Fuzztival and many other killer shows abroad and in the US.

Originally with a sound deeply rooted in modern stoner metal while still giving a nod to classic heavy metal records, High Reeper’s sound has continued to evolve with each LP and through lineup changes. The result of which helped produce their upcoming 2024 full-length length which is a 35-minute assault of brand new metal that finds the band looking clearly forward while at the same time exploring their influences from the “80s and early 90s.

Their third studio album ‘Renewed By Death’ (2024) will see the day in the fall on Heavy Psych Sounds. It was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Shane Trimble at the band’s brand new studio Sletner Sound, in Wilmington Delaware with Justin Di Pinto also engineering. The cover was done by Solomacello.

Upon first blush, I thought GRAVE BATHERS might be some kind of caustic death-doom outfit (not that I dislike that sort of thing), but then I hit play on their new spin and wowsers did that classic doom and early stoner vibe grab me. “We all grew up on The Mars Volta and Thin Lizzy alike,” the band says, “and continue to nerd out over music history, compilation albums and ‘70s hard rock style. We are constantly sharing playlists with one another, studying mythology, and most importantly, we all drop acid and worship the devil.” All of that brings us a sound that shuffles well with the rockier side of Pentagram, Black Sabbath, and Portland street doomers R.I.P.

The band really began after a shared motorcycle ride when vocalist Drew Robinson moved from Brooklyn to Philly into Bassist Davis M. Shubs’ Cadaver Club Funeral Parlor on a whim, with the sole purpose to create this band. It was like fucking magic. They shared books, studied cinema, and wrote an entire album with the band between the Parlor and the studio.

Guitarist Jaret 'Paisley Papi’ Salvat-Rivera and Davis have been making music together for more than half of a decade long friendship, and 'Stoner Steve’ Capitano is a fucking warlock who never puts down his guitar (Davis once had a side project with Steve making '70s porno music called ‘Sexecutioners’ with original Grave Bathers’ drummer Barret May where they all wore gimp masks). The final puzzle piece, Cliff Albert, fucking rips pinball and shreds the drums like an octopus.

Man can these guys jam, too! The Grave Bather’s debut is just two tracks: 'Feathered Serpent/Death Hand’ (2020), but they’re both quite beefy, generating the net effect of making you want to simultaneously bang your head and shake your money maker. Look for the new EP to release via Seeing Red Records on 7-inch vinyl and in digital format this Friday, February 28th (pre-order here).

Give ear…

Louisiana is experiencing a renaissance of sorts in the heavy underground – especially as it concerns doom metal and stoner rock bands. Whether we’re talking sensational acts like Forming The Void, Space Metal, White Light Cemetery, or WOORMS, the Bayou State is busily birthing its next generation Crowbars, Eyehategods, Thous, and Acid Baths. Before us is another impressive newcomer to the scene: OLE ENGLISH, a rambunctious four-member crew nestled deep within Cajun country.

“Bowing before an altar of lore, doom-laden riffs and malevolent presence,” the band’s charter tells us, “Warlock stoner rock outfit Ole English seeks to keep Black Masses a tradition. Preserving the lineage forged by dynasties such as Black Sabbath, Kyuss, The Sword and Soundgarden, the four-piece crusade in establishing themselves throughout the land of the riffian.” That’s enough to get a hearty hellll yeah from me!

Each song on their debut, ‘Ole English’ (2019), presents us with a slice of life that could very well be contemporary, but are actually character sketches from Medieval society. What draws the band to this time period is unclear – perhaps the attraction of simpler times, or maybe just the rich thematic material that this era of history yields. Then again, you can’t help but notice the parallels between then and now, and if you like you can approach each song with this double-meaning in view (I’m sure Ole English won’t mind).

“Paladin” opens the album with gusto, as the knight trots on his horse for on some mission of conquest. It’s a spirited, up-tempo romp. “Old Man” follows and is more evenly paced, even bluesy. Whoever this elderly dude is, he’s got swagger. “Heel” is another stomper, with Nick Harvey’s vocals falling into the tradition of Sasquatch and Orange Goblin. “Visions of Ghana” is the proto-doom song of the album, if its length is any indication. Don’t let the pace fool you though; in its own way, it is one of the most urgent numbers of the EP.

The record spins to its end with “Holy Roller,” an off-kilter, slightly mad tune that touches on the desperation that leads people into extreme acts of religious devotion. I pick up a Roky Erickson and the Aliens vibe here and I couldn’t help thinking this would also make a good companion to Soundgarden’s “Holy Water.”

Ole English is a robust effort from Nick Harvey (vox/guitar), Lynden Segura (vox/guitar), Magnolia June (bass), and Austin Wood (drums) and I look forward to seeing how the band develops from here on out. Look for the big release on Friday, August 23rd (pre-order here).

Give ear…

Some Buzz

When it comes to subverting expectations, Ole English have got it down to a fine art. Even the very name – conjuring images of bards and paladins – clashes against the band’s hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, and the jigsaw-type lore they build their songs on. It’s with affection that they term their fuzzy, whiskey-soaked brand as ‘Warlock rock’, and the five songs on this self-titled jaunt are as composed as they are well-composed.

Each song brings the medieval to the modern age: the journeyman vibes of opener “Paladin” fit right in with the ride-until-you-die ethos of Kyuss et al; “Old Man” showcases Nick Harvey’s belting vocals in a heartfelt number not unlike Soundgarden’s repertoire; “Holy Roller” is a nod to the '70s vintage rock plied by Uncle Acid, Graveyard and the like. Plenty more influences come to the fore, from The Sword to Kingston Wall, but the ultimate takeaway from Ole English is a damn good night of rocking fun with 40 oz’s, a bit of herb, and story-telling that delves into all kinds of strange matter.

Such a strong early release out the gate will cement Ole English’s place in their hometown’s playlist for 2019, and the band already have their sights set on the road after a set of successful runs through the US – there are plenty more places in need of an Ole English Black Mass.

Here is a long lost monster, a true classic, an underground legend, a gem among gems. Intrigued yet? Meet SORCERY, a band whose star lit briefly from 1976 to somewhere around 1980. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois (and not to be confused with the hard rock band from California, which rose to greater prominence at almost exactly the same time) the five-member band put out just two albums.

Their debut is called Sinister Soldiers and was the most impressive chapter in Sorcery’s journey as a band. A respectable length of forty-nine minutes, Sinister Soldiers was issued as a double LP. In 1978, when I was a teen, this was a real attention getter. You know, one of those you’d be likely to take home for the cover art alone.

Disc 1

Side A

1. Arachnid (The Dark King)
2. Fly the Sky
3. Sugar Sweet Lady (Debbie’s Song)

Side B

4. Last Good-Bye

Disc 2

Side A

1. Slippin’ Away (For K.E.R.)
2. Snowshit

Side B

3. Airborne
4. Sorcerer
5. Schizoid

Sinister Soldiers certainly lives up to its title. The music is indeed dark and sinister. There is quite a variety of style on the LP. From killer Sabbath vibes to dreamy progressive psychedelia and even some punky hard rock. The first thing that should grab you is the incredible guitar solos of Paul Koster, whose is grounded in the early-seventies school of acid rock shredding. They are plentiful and intense, riding the evolutionary edge between hard rock and heavy metal. Arguably, this is an example of protometal, though I consider it leaning more heavily in the direction of hard rock.

Tim Barrett’s vocals are another standout, ranging from mellow to urgent, though there’ll be no screaming found here. He was apparently in three other Midwestern bands – Aleister Crowley, Canterbury, and Sea of Monsters– though I have never happened upon recordings from these others. The singing on Sinister Soldiers is sometimes strange, twisted, sweet, and haunting.

Kieran Hoening’s aggressive drumming is what really brings us to heavy metal, even edging into NWOBHM territory. Bear in mind that this was 1978 (though some of the songs were surely recorded earlier) and this time in the feel-good decade proved to be a difficult one for heavy music of all stripes. It was a transitional period where metal was still searching for its identity. Dave Maycroft’s bass playing is basically in the doom style, but a tad more laid back. If this were more widely known (and had a better transfer from the beautiful vinyl analog), it would surely be considered a classic.

The whole album is great, leading you on a partly cloudy trip into the depths of the mind. The stand out track for me is the 12:17 minute song, “The Last Goodbye.” It is the most psychedelic and progressive of tracks. “Snowshit” is another clear winner, being the one song with true heavy metal riffs and long, searing guitar solos. It’s a memorable song and for many of you, this will be a new favorite in your playlist.

Unfortunately, because of limited distribution, Sorcery’s classic never got its just due. Since its release, it’s become one of the rarest and most sought after protometal records of the seventies. I remember scoring my copy in a trade in the late-eighties. By the nineties, the record was valued at $1000-$1500. Now that I’m out of the collect-and-trade business, I can only imagine what the value of an original copy would go for in 2016.

Sorcery did something that hardly anyone was doing at the time and would be decades before bands experimented again with the metal-rock fusion. The extreme rarity and obscurity of this album only adds to the legend that is Sorcery’s Sinister Soldiers.

By “Papa” Paul Rote, with Billy Goate

Jerusalem was a band that was not only ahead of its time, they were largely unrecognized in their own generation. By ‘72 heavy music was nothing new, with Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and a few others starting to become household names.

In fact, Jerusalem had one great asset to help them gain notoriety: Ian Gillan, lead singer of Deep Purple. It was he who produced their eponymous full-length debut that same year. What he wrote on their album sleeve would prove prescient:

I believe that, whenever possible, the work of writers and players in their formative stages should be recorded; before inhibition and self-consciousness set in, before fire and aggression die down, and while they are still absorbing influences and doing things which others might consider 'uncool’. Most important though, before they might develop that self-imposed rigidity which afflicts so many.

In spite of this advantage and the fact they even toured with some very popular acts (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, it goes on) they never really caught on outside of the United Kingdom, where both promoters and concert-goers recognized Jerusalem were flat out good (but, like I said, almost too good for the times, as Ian Gillian hinted in his liner notes).

For our younger readers, let me explain. This was my heyday. There’s a lot about the 70’s that was beyond cool, but you would quickly have to adjust to the stark reality that there was no Bandcamp, no internet, no smart phones. “I want my MTV”? Forget about it! This was the era of AM radio and five or six basic channels of network television. Without the world wide web to discover new music for yourself, you were at the mercy of the big record companies to feed you a steady diet of whatever they thought you’d like (or needed to hear) by way of your local radio station. That was the world of rock 'n’ roll and the emerging genre of heavy metal as we knew it. If a label signed you and released an album and it didn’t sell, baby, you were done for.

There was one way around the industrial music machine: your local record store. That’s where you discovered smaller label bands and imports. As a member of the underground music scene, that was where I went to discover all that was heavy. It was my link to the outside world, though it wasn’t until the late 70’s until my local record shop had a really good import section - just in time to for the start of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. As for the stuff from the earlier years? The seventies remained a mystery that waited for me to unlock almost two full decades later, when some of those albums began appearing as reissues - including Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, it was not until the 90’s that I first heard their seminal debut album. You probably don’t realize it, but the young music lovers of today are hearing far more underground bands from the 70’s than my generation did.

Gratefully, Jerusalem is not as unknown today, and still gaining a strong following on the sheer power and raw emotion of the music they composed 40-pluse years ago. First and foremost, this is stoner rock - loud and heavy enough for the current scene. Some the current retro bands are getting very close to this sound. Growing up in the seventies it was just called acid rock. See, people who didn’t have a clue thought you had to be a drugged out acid freak to like this kind of sound (well, in truth, many of us were back then). It would be decades before bands like Jerusalem would be appreciated for its musical value.

What makes that original album by Lynden Williams (vox), Paul Dean (bass), Bill Hinde (guitar), Bob Cooke (guitar), and Ray Sparrow (drums) so enduring, so exciting, today is the raw, doomy energy and almost punk-like aggression pouring through each song. But it’s those vocals that are paramount for me, putting 'Jerusalem’ (1972) in the upper echelon of classic heavy albums. Not surprising, considering one of the most powerful vocalists of all time produced this.

Ian coaches each band member to channel their very best, while working within (and occasionally beyond) their limitations, and that makes the final production of this album so great. You can tell singer, bassist, drummer, and guitarists alike are putting everything they’ve got into these songs - to the point that Lynden loses his voice at points. Check out the raspy “She Came Like a Bat From Hell,” the song comes at you just like the title states.

The song title is over the top for the era. Every song is great there is not one weak track. Pity that the band just recorded on record together. Stand out tracks are “I See The Light” with its passionate vocals from the get-go, accompanied by a ark, bluesy riff. And my favorite track is “Primitive Man,” a doom anthem with psychedelic interludes. Just like the song says, it’s primitive, man! For fun, take a listen to the demo version of “Primitive Man” and compare it with the studio produced version. You can tell that Ian Gillan really pushed Lynden Williams to the very boundaries of his vocal range, which in turn changes the feel of the album entirely (making it one of the greatest vocal performances on record, in this writer’s opinion). Take some time to get to know this classic of yesteryear. It’s like a time capsule that was virtually made to blossom today.