Sidewinder – Talons

 

Sidewinder – Talons  
Wyrmwood Records – 2024
Rock, Hard, Blues, Psych, Stoner
Rated: ****

As we inch closer to the deadline for YOUR lists for the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024. Namely, before Saturday December 14th, 8.00 CET. We decided to deep dive into that folder full of albums we desperately had wanted to mention this year. We wrote about something like 250 albums and EP’s this year. But in that folder, there are still some 400 more that we had wanted to bring into your peripheral vision. And we are saddened that we will never get to that… But well, besides trying to keep up with all the new ones coming out, we’re now trying to bring into the spotlight one from every month passed that we unfortunately did not mention during the month they were released.

Back in August, the New Zealand five piece Sidewinder released their Talons album. And it has been a go-to record for many times ever since we first heard it. There’s a dusty metal touch to the eight tracks, but that might also be due to that minor southern rock influence that seems to float across some of the tracks. Cause Talons gives you hardrock, stoner infused, some psychedelic touches and a whole lotta blues. Bluesy guitar lines, thundering riffs and vocalist that approximates a growling tigress. Her name is Jem Tupe and she sounds like she could be the next great rock ’n roll performer. Powerful with her blues inspired strokes of empowerment and the way she manages to dominate such a great record that brings so much brilliance with its instrumental work. Her fierce rasp booms across the chugging Disarm The King for instance before turning into a haunting screech. Yes, she’s one hell of a vocalist and it will take you a couple of sessions to come to grips with all she seems capable of and then… finally hear all that masterful drum work, that blistering resounding bass and those howling guitars. Such a freaking good album!

(Written by JK)

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Methadone Skies - '87 via '94

 

Methadone Skies - '87 via '94

‘Three years on from the release of Retrofuture Caveman, the Romanian quartet are back with arguably their heaviest record yet…’ Can’t fault Sheltered Life PR one bit for that sentence, cause it’s all factual and we’re giddy with glee for the new Methadone Skies album Spectres At Dawn! Out on October 25th through Haywire Records they’ve just released a first video to whet your appetite and send you reeling with anticipation! And anything giving me a momentary flashback to China Drum's 60 Seconds can never do antyhing wrong by me from now on! Yes! Check out this instrumental, riff happy, thundering, progressive, sludge and stoner rocking diamond called '87 via '94! Explosive stuff!

PR Wire:

Formed in Timisoara, Romania, 2024 finds instrumental rock titans Methadone Skies celebrating their fifteenth year around the sun with the release of their sixth studio album,  Spectres At Dawn.
 
Due for release this October on their own imprint, Haywire Records, their latest forty-minute foray into the realms of heavy psych, doom, and prog, pushed the key tenets of underground rock through the stratosphere. Offering up post-rock landscapes, stoner grooves and sonic concepts, Methadone Skies have cut the formula of previous releases with a more direct, hyper intense focus on shorter, punchier bouts of uncompromising sound. As Metal Storm put it best, “If you've ever wondered what post-metal would sound like if it developed from stoner metal instead of sludge metal, Methadone Skies clearly share your fascination.”
 
To herald their return the band is thrilled to share a brand-new video. Directed by Flavius Retea and Alexandra Dragu (AKA Eclecticat Design) ‘) ‘’87 via ’94’ is an aural vortex of big riffs and swirling raves, and the first single to be lifted from  Spectres At Dawn.
 
“It was actually the first song we put together for this album,” explains guitarist Casian Stanciu. “We’ve played it live for a couple of years and it’s always fun for us. It’s catchy so it always gets the audience dancing. The video however takes a 180 degree turn on this vibe and follows a person fed up with his corporate 9-to-5 job. He ultimately has a nervous breakdown. It was fun to film.”
 
Having played over two hundred shows with acts like Samsara Blues Experiment, Motorpsycho, Yawning Man, My Sleeping Karma, Stoned Jesus and 1000MODS, and taken in several festivals across Central and Eastern Europe (Doom Over Vienna, Lake on Fire, Thulsa Doom Fest) Methadone Skies will also embark on a tour in support of Spectres at Dawn, dates for which can be found below.

Spectres At Dawn is released 25th October 2024 on Haywire Records and can be pre-ordered here. Watch the video for new single ‘’87 via '94’ by Methadone Skies.

TOUR:
 
26th October – Escape Hub, Timisoara (w. Valerinne, Black Water)
20th November – Quantic Pub, Bucuresti (w. Valerinne, Black Water)
21st November – Love Bar, Sibiu
22nd November – Flying Circus, Cluj-Napoca (w. The Thirteenth Sun)
30th November – Rockstadt, Brasov (w. Black Water) 

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Methadone Skies – Enter The Void - Review

Methadone Skies – Colosseus 

Esben Willems – Glowing Darkness

 

 

Esben Willems – Glowing Darkness
Majestic Mountain Records – 2024
Rock, Punk, Alternative
Rated: ***

You might know him from his amazing drum work for Monolord. The guest spots he delivered over there years on various albums. Or from bands like Marulk and Slower. You might know him from all that mix and master brilliance he delivers through his Studio Berserk for a varied array of bands. Or you might know him from all those fun, cool, weird and coffee pictures he shares on various social media platforms. He’s around and that’s a good thing, for Esben Willems seems to be an honest and pure seeker of goodness and good music! And on Glowing Darkness we are treated to his very first solo album, totally and completely done himself, and delivered as a search through the treasure trove of all sorts of song ideas that had been lying around and he desperately wanted to record. And that’s a good thing. Often rudimentary, often jagged and choppy, the nine tracks move from personal insights to world views and across an eclectic mix of influences. Never needing to go to the Monolord sound or even stonerrock or doom. Even though there are slight touches and moments where he traipses around those genres. Not suffering from a scourge of mildness, there is a different form of extreme here, the extreme need to follow one’s instinct. And that means you can hear what Mr. Willems is thinking across dark themed music or surprisingly airy melodies. Title track Glowing Darkness perhaps being the prime example of this. Or the acoustic Fortune Teller, which makes Mr. Willems go full singer songwriter and is delivered with such finesse it makes you believe he’s a born story teller that could easily write a multitude of mini novels for this kind of music. He might have thought he needed to close the album off with a heavier tune and tone, for Across The Everything has that building vibe, which will give rise to your anticipation of something more Monolord touched, but instead it goes into the alternative nineties and stoner sound. ‘I’m Coming Home’, he sings, but from everything you heard throughout the record one must believe Mr. Willems was always home, comfortable and at ease. Showing off his eclectic interests and his righteous search for the good stuff… Out today, happy release day to the honorable Mr. Willems!

(Written by JK)

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Black Lung – Ancients

Black Lung – Ancients

Ripple Music / Noisolution – 2019 (March 8th / 22nd)

Doom/Heavy Rock

Rated: *****

I was having a couple of drinks before heading home when The Snake walked in –fuck it. Why is he here now? Ever since kicking the habit, The Snake was the last person I wanted to see. He always had good shit but I was trying to escape that world now. He wandered over to me.

“Alright mate, got some good stuff for you today.”

“Fuck off Snake, I’m clean now and don’t need the stuff you are trying to sell me.”

“But mate, this is top quality Doom. Heavy riffs, top notch solos , the works.”

“Snake, you know I have given up Doom for good. I was sick of female vocals suddenly making a band ‘Occult’ or just slowing some 2nd hand Sabbath riffs down and playing some blues over the top.”

“Tony, this is different. This is really great. Tell you what. Listen to the first track for free. If you don’t like it, walk away, no charge”

It did sound tempting and to be honest could a little bit of Doom hurt? I slipped some headphones on and Snake put the 1st track on. DOOOOM!!! Thick heavy doom with thunderous riffs that had a feral urgency to them. Impassioned vocals over solos that went straight to my brain. And so quickly and easily I was hooked again. Black Lung had become my drug of choice and their album Ancients a contender for my end of year list.

(Written by Tony Maim)

Thanks to Richard S Jones & Sheltered Life PR for the promo.

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Witchers Creed – Awakened From The Crypt

Witchers Creed – Awakened From The Crypt

Ripple Music – 2019 (February 22^nd)

Doom, Proto-Metal, Heavy Rock

Rated: *****

Witchers Creed make no secret of their love for 70’s Doom and dude, these Swedes make the most of it. Heavy riffs but with a groove, carry the tunes along the highway entitled Proto-Metal. Thick sounding production by Tony Reed (Mos Generator) combined with a punk snottiness makes this Awakened From The Crypt album an absolute killer. With a slew of doom bands emerging every day, it is rare to hear such authentic sounds coming out of your speakers. Distortion is lovingly used (hey kids, you know how much I dig it) but all the instruments shine out. Stop reading this and pre-order now!

(Written by Tony Maim)

Thanks to Richard S Jones from Sheltered Life PR for the promo.

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Forming The Void – Rift

Forming The Void – Rift

Kozmik Artifactz – 2018

Psychedelic Doom Rock

Rated: *****

Man, these guys have a righteous heavy sound that kicks you right in the guts. Mountain-like riffs are propelled by the rhythm section – unstoppable bastards with searing solos that get the neck muscles working overtime. Cleanish vocals drenched in reverb float to the front of everything which ties in nicely with the psychedelic passages that weave in and out of the sonic prayers being offered here. A lot of bands try this mixture of genres but Forming The Void have fucking nailed it. Over here at Maim Towers, this is getting a lot of spins and other stuff I should be reviewing is getting left behind. This is the good stuff.

Thanks to Richard S Jones - Sheltered Life PR for the promo.

(Written by Tony Maim)

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