Book Of Wyrms - Occult New Age

 

 

Book Of Wyrms - Occult New Age
Desert Records / Dewar PR – 2021
Rock, Seventies, Psych, Occult, Doom
Rated: ****

The past two weeks have been extremely hectic, giving us less time to listen to the good and heavy stuff out there and even less time to do the HiVe thing. But that new Book Of Wyrms record has not been passed over. In fact, it has been spinning like crazy and when the Doom Charts called for a blurb, we quickly jotted down a few words. Occult New Age is a luscious blend of seventies rock, occult metal, doom, psych and all that’s good and heavy into the spiked kool-aid we all need to drink from time to time. Together with the folky touches, this little diamond will make you flashback to all those great acid parties you might not even have experienced. You should spend a few bucks on this, let yourself loose, throw back your head and screech out the Book Of Wyrms name. Do that three times in a mirror and they might turn up in your living room for a live concert. Who knows? An Occult New Age is dawning…  

(Written by JK)

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Places Around The Sun – Places Around The Sun

 

Places Around The Sun – Places Around The Sun
Self released / Dewar PR – 2020
Rock, Stoner,
Rated: ****

For a moment there… I thought my mind had snapped and that I actually believed I was listening to Queens of The Stone Age. I saw titles like Lullabies To Paralyze, Tangled Up In Plaid and The Blood Is Love and many more flashing bright neon red, floating right before my eyes and wondered if it was possible that this was an alternative reality in which different demos from that era made it unto the record. But then the room was quiet again and my mind wandered back into the here and now and I realized I had been listening to fourpiece Places Around The Sun from Lisbon, Portugal. A quartet that have managed to magnify and enlarge certain aspects of that Queens Of The Stone Age sound and ran with it. Shit, they ran the fucking marathon with it! But where that era of QOTSA retained a bit of a harsh, dangerous and gritty edge; Places Around The Sun have managed to make it all sound gentle, easy and warm without losing anything in energy and urgency. And don’t get me wrong here, that is exactly the kind of treatment we could use right about now. Not just because it might be what the world needs, but mostly because that this has not been done with the sound we all know and love so much to such a satisfying degree. Once this albums sinks its teeth in, you’re hooked and you will love every minute of it!

(Written by JK)

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Brass Owl – State of Mind

Brass Owl – State of Mind

Honk-E-Fonk / Self released / Dewar PR – 2020

Rock, Hard, Stoner, Southern, Blues

Rated: ****

The album sounds like it has a definite purpose. Invigorating that old bluesy, southern hard rock sound! Twisting it up with bits of stoner and something that sounds wickedly funky and even some gospel swing or psychedelic meandering. It’s a statement this new State Of Mind album by Brass Owl. Of purpose and intent indeed, bold, brave and bourbon soaked. You would assume Nashville roots or Texan ancestry, but the boys are from Cincinnati Ohio and bring forth a rusty and worn sound that reveal a definite love for the old blues legends and the roots rock of yore. Hoka Hey chimes in there reminiscent of some Appalachian folk music and gives the album even more character. The guitar crackles, pierces, purses and squeezes and almost everywhere the vocals shine through with authority. And it works brilliantly, cause even if the range is limited, you believe every intense and fiercely fought confession or universal truth that is uttered. Brass Owl, my admiration for this simple, sleek hard rocking blues record keeps growing with every listening session. And there will be many to come!

(Written by JK)

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Dictator Ship – Your Favorites

Dictator Ship – Your Favorites

The Sign Records / Dewar PR – 2020

Rock, Roll, Hard, Garage, Punk, Blues

Rated: ****

We love that atavistic style of rock ‘n roll, that early sixties garage, that seventies punk, that groove and punch, that grab and smash, those wild and wicked kick out the jams! And for whatever weird reason the Scandinavians have been doing that particularly well the past years... In come the four Swedes from Dictator Ship and their debut album Your Favorites. Seven high energy rockers that sounds like they live and direct. There’s a lot of soul and a lot of boogie going on, on Your Favorites, the pedal is pushed to a righteous degree. Which gives it an intense party vibe and a funky edge of southern goodness. The four Swedes deliver a debut album, filled with indestructible material which will already be tough to beat on their next. This pirate ship has their boat filled with rum and rock and welcome each and everyone!

(Written by JK)

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Stone Machine Electric – Stone Machine Electric

Stone Machine Electric – Stone Machine Electric

Self released / Dewar PR – 2020

Rock, Doom, Sludge, Stoner, Jazz

Rated: ****

Are you still spinning the shit out of Darkness Dimensions Disillusion that came out on Sludgelord Records last year? Well, to commemorate their first ever live gig which happened on March 26 2010 opening up for Wo Fat the Stone Machine Electric duo will now release a seven inch featuring two early recordings. Walking Among The Blind and Mushroom Cloud bring forth their very own style of heaviness to a very sludgy degree. Both tracks are powerful and pack a mighty punch, but opening track Mushroom Cloud does seem to blossom more into its own in regards to that second track. It’s dirty and explosive, it’s machinal and harsh! And it’s exactly what we like about Stone Machine Electric. Now let’s hope they get to perform live again soon and let’s hope we can celebrate more decades of Stone Machine Electric!

(Written by JK)

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Her Name Was Fire – Decadent Movement

Her Name Was Fire – Decadent Movement

Raging Planet / Dewar PR – 2020

Rock, Grunge, Stoner, Alternative, Pop

Rated: ****

The Portuguese duo Her Name Was Fire brings us some sleazy stoner, grunge and alternative rock with this high pop sensible catchiness and fanciness. Very soon after Decadent Movement we start dancing and we shall not stop! It’s a Queens of The Stone Age soul with Bud Spencer Blues Explosion believes and a fire burning hot! High energy is an understatement and talent seems to be running wild within these cats. Delicious songs about the darker sides of human existence done with so much air and light you cannot do anything else but celebrate it all. It’s a damn fine rocker! A rocker that has everything you need to bring air to these twisted days we’re all experiencing. It’s sexy, it’s intense and simply irresistible Fun. With a capital F! Her Name Was Fire !

(Written by JK)

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