Corrosion Of Conformity – Good God / Baad Man

 

Corrosion Of Conformity – Good God / Baad Man
Nuclear Blast - 2026
Heavy Metal, Southern Rock, Sludge
Rated: ****

We love them, and when our resident poet Ronny Dijksterhuis mentioned their Gimme Some More single on a Quick Fire Friday segment, I remembered this was coming. For yes, that single heralded the coming of that amazing new Corrosion Of Conformity album Good God/Baad Man. The last album by COC, No Cross No Crown, was released in 2018. That’s quite a while ago, but a lot has changed since then. Two years after that album, drummer Reed Mullin passed away after a life marked by alcohol and drugs, and not long after that, co-founder and bassist Mike Dean decided to leave the band. That left founder, guitarist, and singer Woody Weatherman and guitarist/singer Pepper Keenan, a member since 1989, as the remaining core. But with newly recruited bassist Bobby Landgraf (ex-Down, Honky) and drummer Stanton Moore, who previously played on In The Arms Of God (2005), new energy and new fire has returned. The result is the double album Good God/Baad Man, over an hour-long journey through COC’s eclectic metal world. The first half is packed with furious metal in all the familiar COC styles, while the second half explores new paths: hard rock, blues, stoner, and even psychedelic touches. Producer Warren Riker described the album during recording as their “Dark Side Of The Doom,” a label that perfectly captures the versatility, intensity, and boldness of this powerful record…

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Instagram

Facebook

Homepage 

 

Number 2

 

 

Number 2

It’s the Silver Medal! The second spot on the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2023 according to all your votes. It sits only eight points above the Number 3 album Domkraft and Sonic Moons. All those votes went out to a band that already made the Number 1 spot of the Countdown back in 2019, Number 5 in 2021 and now Number 2. It’s an album that everybody could only come to grips with for a month and which therefor only rose through the ranks as the votes came in. And on those final days, the album shot passed the amazing albums we already visited in the past few days. An album we must confess, once again, we did not click with as hard as we did with their earlier ones. I remember feeling a bit too much of a Ghost touch as we started getting acquainted with the lay of this new land. That feeling has somewhat passed after having the album on repeat for the past few weeks. And their crossing over a tad more to the metal side of classic hard rock has shown to open up their larger than life sound to even more euphoric choruses and even more dynamic interplay. You can hear they’ve been on the road for a while and saw what worked best live, incorporating so much of that experience and that energy into this new album might have tilted the album askew, perhaps my initial weirdness about some of it was stemming from this, but not for these five infidels, they land it beautifully. And we all now know that the next time they brings their ritual to avenue near you, you will need to participate. Missing them next year will be a holy sin…

On Number 2 we find…

Green Lung - This Heathen Land

Homepage

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Nuclear Blast

Number 19

 

 

Number 19

The Lord Knows we love that Tidal Wave album that made the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2023 on Number 20. No less than 768 albums received votes and many of them received multiple votes. Which I guess means that all of them were loved by many. And on Number 19 we find many! No less than three albums made by four bands had the exact same amount of points; only a mere 10 points more than Tidal Wave. Psychedelic and alternative, bluesy and classic, expansive and cinematic. Three albums moving in very different directions but all heavy in their own way…

That one heavy psychedelic album felt as much as living entity as the title hinted at, atmospheric by default and with such soaring leads and floating vocals, you would surely and immediately sail away with those dynamic and laidback dirge sounds to a state of blissful being.

That other album proved to be yet another great blues and classic hardrock record from the boys that have been at it for quite some time. Slowly but decisively moving into that classic rock territory with every album they release. Soulful and retro, the album opts for more ease and slow tunes and less boogie and groove. They boys wanted everything more mellow and open, and they achieved that without any doubt.

The expansive and cinematic album is a collaboration between two bands that both deliver their absolute forte on every of the seven tracks. But these seven need to be digested in one sitting; for this is one grand spacious and wild adventure. Controlled, powerful chaos, like a perfect swirling Taoistic ritual. The two bands manage to weave an intricate and extremely detailed psychedelic tapestry that feels like you are on a majestic journey into the outer reaches of everything. Art in every sense of the word.

On Number 19 we find…

Khan – Creatures

&

Graveyard – 6

&

REZN & Vinnum Sabbathi – Silent Future

Khan Homepage

Khan Bandcamp
   
Khan Linktree

Khan Facebook

Khan Instagram

Full Contact Safari Records

Graveyard Instagram

Graveyard Facebook

Nuclear Blast

REZN Bandcamp

REZN Homepage

REZN Instagram

REZN Facebook

REZN Youtube

Vinnum Sabbathi Bandcamp

Vinnum Sabbathi Instagram

Vinnum Sabbathi Facebook

Blues Funeral Recordings

Silent Future Review on Stoner HiVe

Number 10

 

 

Number 10

Thank you all, all you crazy followers that voted for the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2022. We’ve already passed 10 spots and sixteen bands with their respective albums. Up next is Number 10, indeed, we’re already entering the Top 10. And I’m going to make some remarks that are perhaps a bit lame and will immediately make obvious what album we find on this Number 10 position. Here goes nothing… We loved her earlier work, her earlier albums: Debut, Post, Homogenic and even Vespertine. After that the only album that did something for me, was perhaps Volta. Her newest Fossora record, will be a listened once and that will be enough kind of deal for me. Probably. Lame right? You know we’re kidding and we’re not really talking about Björk. But the pitch, the color and the overall sound of the vocalist of this band has so many similarities its kind of frightening. But you can also just move past the voice and on to the compositions, onto the countless use of stonerrock influences, psychedelics and doom into their proggy rock. For even though the voice might take center stage at the beginning, you soon find out that there’s amazing guitar work and wonderful drums waiting to be discovered. On Number 10 we find!   

Gaupa – Myriad

Homepage

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Out on Nuclear Blast

On to Number 9!

Khemmis – Deceiver

 

 

Khemmis – Deceiver
Nuclear Blast – 2021
Metal, Doom, Black, Sludge
Rated: ***

It arrived with a bang! But I guess Khemmis always does! The new album Deceiver jumped to the Seventh spot of the November Doom Charts and Tony van Dorston from the wicked Fast 'n Bulbous wrote: “Their twin guitar showcases are on point, and the vocal melodies and harmonies are stickier than ever. I’m not really a fan of Ben Hutcherson’s harsh screams, but much like peak early 00’s era Opeth, it’s a necessary evil that does provide useful variety and contrast.” And I could not agree more! It is the one thing that sort of deters me from completely falling head over heels in love with Khemmis. Cause the classic metal take on doom is wholesome and full of life, there is hope here and there is light. And it is an extra step towards the epic side of metal that Khemmis is slowly drifting towards. Always touching sludge and using the exact amount of prog to get the job done. Could they’ve done more? Perhaps, but perhaps, we could just enjoy their take on this classic story of deception and especially enjoy those two stand out tracks: The Astral Road and Shroud of Lethe.

(Written by JK)

Homepage

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Blues Pills – Holy Moly!

Blues Pills – Holy Moly!

Nuclear Blast – 2020

Rock, Hard, Blues, Seventies

Rated: ****

Holy Moly! He exclaimed with great relish! The Blues Pills four have done it again! Their earlier records were already right there where you need the blues to be. Right there in that golden seventies era! But on their new one they have decided to dispense with all those psychedelic meanderings and dived straight into the hard rocking blues! For that is what we are served when we get a taste of the Holy Moly! Soft almost slumbering blues and hard trucking diesel blues rock. Do we miss those psychedelic touches? Not when the tracks are as gorgeous and powerful as the ones featured on Holy Moly! And when you have such a powerhouse of a woman in the name of Elin Larsson wreaking havoc, there is simply no escaping the simple fact that Blues Pills are a force to be reckoned with. They simply perfected the push and pull of the bluesy ocean, leaving you thirsting for the subdued when the powerful is there and the other way around, implemented some garage rocking gale and destroys every option of calling this a retro band.Blues Pills are back and ready to kick some ass!

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Homepage

Facebook

Nuclear Blast

Pristine – Road Back To Ruin

Pristine – Road Back To Ruin

Nuclear Blast – 2019

Rock, Blues, Hard, Seventies

Rated: ****

We’ve been digging everything Pristine has given us these past years. And we have been laboring under the misapprehension that we mentioned 2017’s Ninja and Reboot from 2016. I even thought No Regret from 2013 got it’s fair mention and that we only overlooked their debut Detoxing from 2011. But we were sadly mistaken… But I guess now we can repair some of that neglect by raving about the new Road Back To Ruin album. Cause the new record features once again a fine selection of wild hard rock anthems colored by a seventies approach and a dusty veil of blues. We are still completely and utterly taken by the voice of Heidi Solheim and we are immediately and utterly in love with the album because of her vocals and the way they open Road Back To Ruin. Sinnerman’s the name of said opener and the track effortlessly roars its way into your heart with classic riffs and a howling Hammond. And the rest of the record is filled with more righteous music; and even the mildly obligatory ballad Aurora Skies seems to warm the heart.  Yes, even that one. This has soul! Pristine and perfect!

(Written by JK)

Homepage

Facebook

Stoner HiVe’s Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Stoner HiVe’s

Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Little Steven

Pristine

Lo-Pan

Tempel

Brutus

The last few days of silence were due to the fact that my father in law got decorated by the King. So, there was much to prepare for the secret festivities. And ofcourse during those days we did not listen to anything new. But before we went off, clad in Orange and bearing gifts abundant, we had quite a spell of great albums, soon to be released, released recently and released a bit earlier. We had Little Steven’s new album Summer of Sorcery on repeat due to an interview. Which is good, great blues married to rock and soul and funk and a whole lot more! Excellent tunes for the approaching summer! Pristine’s album Road Back To Ruin out on Nuclear Blast has been on heavy rotation. Steamy classic hardrock injected with the blues and the spirit of the golden age. Subtle, the new Lo-Pan, soon to be released on Aqualamb Records has been on heavy rotation for a while. Which is only logical for Lo-Pan are the only cats that can really marry those easy to the ear melodies from hardrock with stoner trucking and a spacious groove. Subtle is definitely subtle and all the intricate layers give their new release something gigantic. Amazing record! Tempel is the new Kvelertak-drummer vehicle and seems to continue on where the other band signs off. The melody that suddenly appears when you get used to the hardcore sound is beautiful. Tempel by Tempel, out on PIAS. And Brutus we already mentioned, Nest (out on Hassle Records) will bash and grate and whip you into a frenzy! So, check it out! Check’m all out!

Northward – Northward

Northward – Northward

Nuclear Blast – 2018

Rock, Hard, Metal

Rated: ***

So, apparently, this album was already ready to go a few years back, but due to their respective other bands they never found time to start the Northward project up. We’re talking about Floor Jansen from Nightwish and Jorn Viggo Lofstad from Pagan’s Mind. With these two grand masters at the helm you would expect something proggy, something symphonic and something metal. And sure, we can still hear some echoes of what they are capable of in that respect, but this is rock, hardrock with a metallic edge. Although we're even served some radio friendly rock with a highly poppy edge on a track like Storm In A Glass. Swinging seventies is heard in Big Boy and perhaps the most proggy track is the fine piece named Paragon. It’s good. It’s all good. It’s Floor and Jorn doing their magic in a different setting. And it’s a good one!

(Written by JK)

Homepage

Facebook

Stoner HiVe’s Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Stoner HiVe’s

Top 5 artists listened to last week…

All Them Witches

Juliette and The Licks

Spirit Division

Kadavar

Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats

Yes yes. We know. This should have gone up on Monday. But that work crap is still getting in the way. Why is there always so much extra work to do before you leave for a little holiday. And then there were the new Doom Charts coming up. Also way more important! Hence, we have the Top 5 of Most Listened To Albums of Week 35 now for ya. The new All Them Witches album ATW soon to be released through New West Records has been on the most rotation. Their psychedelic blues suddenly got way more concise and even catchy at times. Still vague and wild, the ramshackle sound sits there perfectly among everything we love about All Them Witches! What an album! On the Waveriders (Ripple Music) forum they do this one album a day post. This time it was an album featuring Dave Grohl. I simply love his choppy and snarky drumming on Four On The Floor by Juliette and The Licks. Who in my opinion should record a new album, yesterday. And you know what, they have or are currently recording! Sure, one of these cats is involved with the Doom Charts. Does this mean we should refrain from commenting on their album? Hell no, we profess what we love when we dig something. And we are digging Forgotten Planet by Spirit Division! The different vibes smeared across the record all fit nicely as the scenery of a Forgotten Planet. It smells old and bronzed, but it feels heavy and sharp. A wild ride for sure! Kadavar releases a live album called Live In Copenhagen, through Nuclear Blast. They had to. Everyone was always telling them their live shows were so much better than their (stunning) studio albums. One and one makes two and this is definitely a live album that captures the essence of this wild trio! When Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats release a new album, we prepare for ritualistic bloodletting. Wasteland is definitely dystopic in content and sounds like the vintage lust of yore. But perhaps we need to dive deep into their reddened pool of garage doom to truly appreciate this offering… And we have all the time in the world for that when we are hitting the waves in Portugal next week… Good music! Great music! And we all know life would be a mistake without it!

Khemmis – Desolation

Khemmis – Desolation

Nuclear Blast / 20 Buck Spin – 2018

Rock, Metal, Hard, Doom, Stoner

Rated: ****

We adored Absolution back in 2015 and still do! And we had the honor to write a few words about the new Khemmis album Desolation for the June edition of the Doom Charts. After which we ofcourse continue to spin the shit out of it. And now, a few weeks later, we still stand by every one of those words... Apart from the growling vocals at the end, opening track Bloodletting on Khemmis’s third album Desolation could be spun on every alternative radio station and it would turn on almost every hard rocking freak. And this is how you could spin every one of the six tracks. It is still stoner metal and doom rock with a hardrock take and sludgy moments. But there is much more eighties metal and an extremely perfect vocal delivery on this record and it should cater to everyone. Yes, everyone! Yet, it might also piss a few fans off! Which is a damn freakin shame! Open mind beardos! Open mind! It’s what this underground stuff is all about! It’s what makes you truly love every one of those amazing records that come out. Don’t be a stick in the mud, don’t get stuck in your corner! Come out of the woodworks, put on Desolation, hear the growth and enjoy the fuck out of it!

(Written by JK)

Homepage

Bandcamp

Bandcamp

Facebook

Graveyard – Peace

Graveyard – Peace

Nuclear Blast – 2018

Rock, Hard, Seventies, Blues

Rated: ****

Do you remember where you were? When the earth shook around you? When the walls came crashing down? When life as we know it, seemed to have lost all meaning? Yes, do you know where you were when Graveyard said they were calling it quits? September seems to be one of those months that evokes bad energy and worse weather. Well, it was also the month Graveyard said they would stop their majestic and soulful ride. Luckily, they announced their come back only a few months later! Pfew! Now, all was right in the world again. Well, almost right. We had to hear what new drummer Oskar Bergenheim, who we already knew from the Truls Mörck album and Den Stora Vilan, but also played for Slowgold and Togus Band, would bring to the Graveyard sound. Well, rest assured, they are back! And with knives in their teeth! We can state that all the Graveyard records are wild and wonderful, but that some of the sharp edge and danger slowly dissipated the during the course of their albums. It’s back now. On Peace, they sound much more chased, hunted and on the run. They sound like they have something to prove again. Gritty, bluesy, grungy hard rock and with that ever-prevalent love for the seventies that Graveyard always displayed. Does Oskar Bergenheim change the sound? No, he sounds like the perfect replacement for Axel Sjöberg, he continues the wildness we love and injects it with a new razor-sharp edge! Graveyard is back!

(Written by JK)

Facebook

Stoner HiVe’s Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Stoner HiVe’s

Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Shields

The Sword

Earthless

Stone Temple Pilots

Lonely Kamel

Another week starts… With another king hell of a hangover. So, that means we should put up the Top 5 of Most Listened albums of the past week. That always clears the head right up. Putting on some good music to listen to while typing out the Top 5, that’s how it starts, how it always starts. Today we go for the new Tranzat album, a bandname that reminded Doktor420 of a ‘transgender Tarzan’. But the music does not! The Great Disaster definitely deserves your attention! But it is not among the Top 5. Those bands are: Shields, The Sword, Earthless, Stone Temple Pilots and Lonely Kamel. All of them have new albums out and all of them need to be listened to on a regular basis! Well, Bill Goodman made us check out the new Stone Temple Pilots and we must say it is not bad. But it doesn’t seem to do anything for us either. The new Used Future out on Razor & Tie by The Sword has a similar effect, though that may just take a moment or two more to sink in. Lonely Kamel’s Death's-Head Hawkmoth album out on Stickman Records on the other hand has the opposite effect, a real zinger! As good a Dust Devil or even better! Shields is fun. Had to listen to it a couple of times to let all the fun shine through. But with all fun records, they usually do not last long. Once you’ve heard the punchline; a couple of times, the joke turns stale. We fear this might happen the Use Protection album as well. And then there’s Black Heaven by Earthless, out on Nuclear Blast and recorded in Rancho De La Luna, highly anticipated, to say the least. Obviously good, but how good, that will take a little more time… As is the case with so many more albums. So let’s check’m out! All of them! Yes! All of them!

Corrosion Of Conformity – No Cross No Crown

Corrosion Of Conformity – No Cross No Crown

Nuclear Blast – 2018

Heavy Rock, Doom, Southern

Rated: Heavy as you like!

People often come up to me and say “Mr Tony, how come you so cleverist and know music so good”! Well let me tell you, it takes hard work and dedication and a willingness to open your ears. But sometimes even I can make mistakes. Remember my “ the drummer from Nirvana is gonna form his own band – 6 months from now you won’t even recall his name!” or my classic “no one is gonna want to listen to bands who just recycle old Sabbath riffs!” Well people, I can admit to another error of judgement. I have never listened to COC before. Why? No idea. So let’s put the new album on. I know some folks in the know are exited by some dude called Pepper Keenan returning to the fold. Bit of atmospheric noises and then WHAM, the guitars come in and yeah, this has a lovely fat, powerful sound that straight away has the muscles on my neck start to nod. Big riffs, big tunes and shit loads of groove are evident of this collection of songs. Nice economical solos and vocals that are aggressive but do not stray into the dreaded cookie monster realm. Do I prefer this to Peppers stint with Down? Well, yes I do. It’s a bit overlong for my taste but worth it for the killer cover of Queen’s “Son and Daughter”. I cannot compare No Cross No Crown to any other COC albums but this is a monster of an album and one I shall certainly return to.

(Written by Tony Maim)

Facebook

Nuclear Blast