Kalgon - Kalgon (Album Review)

Release Date: May 23rd 2024. Record Label: Evil Noise Recordings. Formats: Cassette/DD

Kalgon - Kalgon: Tracklisting

1.The Isolate 

2.Grade Of The Slope 

3.Apocalyptic Meiosis

4.Interlude (Windigo Refrain)

5.Windigo

6.Eye Of The Needle

7.Setting Sun

Band Members

Brandon Davis: Guitar and Vocal

Berten Lee Tanner: Bass and Vocal

Marc Russo: Drums

Review

Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metallers Kalgon self-titled debut album is one that specialises in low-end riffage and raw sounding Progressive melodies with a Sludge/Thrash Metal outlook that allows the over-the-top story to progress at a thrilling fast pace. The album is about a space fungus that crash lands on Earth from Space and starts to take over and colonise the minds of humanity by controlling them to reformulate the atmosphere of Earth for warmer, more favorable conditions and more methane for the hivemind parasitic space fungus. 

You have to give credit to Kalgon for giving such an outlandish premise a touch of warmth and human emotion with some of the Post-Stoner and Post-Doom surroundings that appear on the record. However, Kalgon play a thrilling style of Down-tuned Doom/Sludge Metal with aggressive grooves and raw sounding vocals to match. The whole production of the album is raw and minimalistic which feels like a true debut album with a band not aiming for perfection but playing the best music they can possibly play.

The opening two tracks of The Isolate and Grade Of The Slope allows Kalgon to set down the rules of their LOW & SLOW world with moments of down-tuned Sludge grooves merging with strands of Punk, Thrash, Blues Rock and their main weapon of Heavy Psychedelic Doomed Out Stoner Metal. Both songs allow the muscular rhythm section of Berten Lee Tanner and Marc Russo on Bass and Drums respectively to play at a slow-to-mid pace with Brandon Davis playing the more destructive guitars which all combine for a subtle blast of atmospheric sounds. Taking cues from bands such as SLEEP, High On Fire, Monolord and CONAN for the most part. Kalgon employs their own style of epic mythology within their lyrics and some impressive guitar solos along the way.

The album continues with the lo-fi surroundings with a more Thrash paced outlook on the excellent third track Apocalyptic Meiosis which has a slight Mastodon storytelling influence and how they combine the different musical strands for a fast-paced Thrash/Punk Rock sound which gives more nuanced energy to the overall story of the album. This is perhaps the real turning point for Kalgon on a pure creative level. As everything becomes more real with the story and that’s down to the great lyrics, vocal performances and subtle melodic energy which all comes together within the few minutes that the song lasts for.

Fourth track Interlude (Windigo Refrain) is a stripped back Psychedelic track with Droned rhythms and Post-Rock sounds that offer a cold sounding track which feels powered by long drawn out synths that does have a dramatic Science Fiction sound.

The final three tracks of Windigo, Eye Of The Needle and Setting Sun is the best part of the album and where the heaviest and most interesting sounds that appear on the record. As Kalgon takes the “LOW & SLOW” sound to more aggressive and emotional levels with the Psychedelic and Droned Out elements becoming more dominant with some subtle Blues Rock energy appearing within Windigo and Eye Of The Needle. There’s a certain 1970’s Psych Rock and Space Rock sensibility that allows Kalgon to become more Science Fiction obsessed with the music once again being thoroughly modern at the same time.

The final track of Setting Sun is where the record becomes its most emotional, uplifting and absolutely devastating with Kalgon resolving all the loose ends of their creative journey with a therapeutic style of Post-Rock, Psych Rock and Sludge Metal with a distracting Drone Rock score. This is quite rewarding to hear especially with the fantastic vocals laying out a slightly dystopian and nightmarish quality to them. You’re probably thinking where the “uplifting” vibe is coming from that I mentioned earlier. Well, that’s down to the wonderful melody and tone of the track which was quite therapeutic for myself to hear.

Kalgon’s debut album is another great album from the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene with the ultimate WOW factor which a lot of great bands have been appearing recently such as CLEEN, Ape Vermin, HASHTRONAUT and Lungburner who all play a subtle LO-FI raw-sounding energy that gives the standard Doom/Stoner Metal sound a more adventurous approach. 

I’m hoping that Kalgon builds up a well-deserved reputation within the scene. This album is a highly original record that offers intense grooves to match. This is another great album being added to my Album Of The Year list which I can see being added to quite a few more folks lists before the year is out.

Outstanding. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Desert Bloom PR for the promo.

Kalgon self-titled release will be available to buy on DD/Cassette via Evil Noise Recordings from Thursday 23rd May 2024.

Links

Linktree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

French Post-Metal quartet HOMECOMING on tour now! New album 'Those We Knew' available on Copper Feast Records.

Photo credit Fab William Alexander.

Progressive metal/post-metal foursome HOMECOMING's tour across France, the UK and Belgium kicks off today in Lille. They will defend their recently released album 'Those We Knew' - out on British imprint Copper Feast Records.

HOMECOMING's well-honed personality brilliantly fuses grunge, 90s rock and progressive metal. New album ‘Those We Knew’ highlights remarkable vocal work that guides the listener through various musical tableaux. The vocals adapt to the moods and unite the tracks, tying together the influences. Discovering ‘Those We Knew’, we can easily imagine Alice In Chains featuring Tool or Cult Of Luna. The gloomy, heavy, sometimes hushed 90s tones collide with endless imagination, peppered by ethereal atmospheres, enticing introspection.

TOUR DATES - info & tickets

17.05 FR LILLE, La Bulle Café
18.05 FR PARIS, Le Klub
30.05 UK BOURNEMOUTH, Bears Cave
31.05 UK BRISTOL, The Gryphon
01.06 UK ROTHERHAM,The Hive
02.06 UK LONDON, Signature Brew
01.07 FR PARIS, Supersonic
12.07 BE BRUXELLES, Café Central
13.07 BE HASSELT, Cafe Nocturna

“Elements recognizable from the likes of Mastodon, Neurosis...” - The Obelisk

“Mind-Blowing. The skill of the musicians, the gift of the singer, the sound dynamics are of a high level” - Doom Charts

“A brilliant and technically minded band” - Outlaws Of The Sun

“It is an absolute stunner of an album,
each of the six songs tells a different story” - Metal Epidemic

“Aesthetic and enjoyable” - Ever Metal

“A stunning blend of so many different sounds that it’s amazing they can put it
all together in such a comprehensive manner” - Heavy Music HQ

"The guitars pour out devastating riffs when it's not a more progressive work" - Music In Belgium

Since 2017, Parisian post-metal quartet HOMECOMING experiment as much as they navigate between different styles, drawing inspiration from sludge, grunge, 90s alt-rock and progressive metal. The key to the success of this unlikely fusion? Unfailing coherence, underpinned by a miracle recipe: blistering riffs, melodious or ultra-violent vocals, out-of-control drums, and a whole arsenal of better-than-average ideas that help to create an outstanding soundscape.

HOMECOMING's ambitious debut album, aptly titled "LP01", was released in December 2019 on a self-production basis. Spotted by tour promoter Hello Euphoria, the quartet crossed the French borders, hitting the roads of Europe until arriving on the stages of leading heavy music festival Desertfest London (in May 2023). Shortly after, they sign to UK label Copper Feast Records for the release of their second studio effort, 'Those We Knew' on April 19th 2024. The whole thing is off to a flying start.

LINE-UP

Théo Alves Guiter: vocals, guitar

Renaud Fumey-Seguy: guitar,  backing vocals

Basile Chevalier: bass

Theo Giotti "Atc De Giotto": drums

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Shake Promotion for all of the details.

MOULD - Pull & Repulsion (Album Review)

Release Date: May 17th 2024. Record Label: PolderRecords. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Pull & Repulsion: Tracklisting

1.Dust and Venom 06:48

2.Face the North 07:06

3.Age of Obsidian 06:47

4.To Control the Sky 07:36

5.Verticality 08:11

6.Abort 04:44

Band Members

Jeska Buhmann – Vocals & Guitar

Mark de Smit – Guitar

Juriën Quaars – Guitar

Koen van Soelen – Bass & Vocals

Rob Dekker – Drums

Review

MOULD is a Sludge/Doom Metal band from The Netherlands who play a delightfully hip, down-tuned and droned out style of Sludge with gloomy atmospherics that can be quite Grunge obsessed in places. The band are influenced by the likes of YOB, Pallbearer, Neurosis and Windhand with the lyrics having quite an emotional depth to them. MOULD adds levels of Psychedelic and Sonic based melodies within the heavier Sludgy grooves. 

The vocals are expertly handled by Jeska and Koen who also play Guitar and Bass respectively. They’re clean based and work superbly well together bringing a first rate LIGHT vs DARK aspect to the whole creative narrative of the album. The majority of the tracks run between seven to eight minutes in length with MOULD showing a charismatic style of Prog Metal and Post-Rock interludes which the band put to great use on the superb opening tracks: Dust And Venom and Face The North.

There’s an ice-cold nature to the early parts of the album but MOULD soon employ a more robust and uplifting style of SONIC based Doom Metal within the closing stages of Dust And Venom. Second track Face The North has that classic Post-Metal sound that Neurosis perfected anf opened the floodgates for countless other bands to become aligned with. MOULD delve into that area of music with the majority of the album as the pummelling rhythm section and heavy guitars conspire to build an avalanche of subtle Post-Metal textures and Psychedelic Sludge movements with Jeska’s vocals being quite dominant and commanding at the same time. 

The first two opening tracks allow MOULD to lay down the foundations and rules for the record to move into heavier Psychedelic waters with the LOUDEST and AGGRESSIVE moments yet to come especially on the outstanding tracks of Age Of Obsidian, To Control The Sky and Vertically. Koen’s vocals sets off the album into a more despairing DOOMED and DISTORTED direction with the music taking a similar lead. However, MOULD always find a way to bring an upbeat energy to their music even if it acts as the perfect soundtrack to the end of the world.

My favourite part of the album is where MOULD strip back the heavy sound and replace it with a more cool sounding Ambient Post-Rock or Post-Doom element which gives the record a certain reflective mood. The instrumental melodies allows Jeska’s vocals to become more warm natured but the heavy Sludge Metal aesthetic isn’t too far behind with MOULD devouring everything in their sight.

Pull & Repulsion is a stunning album that allows MOULD to surprise you with the different directions the album ultimately takes you upon and leaves you wanting to hear more from this sublime band. This is an emotionally charged album built upon wonderful ideas and intense grooves that allow this record to become an unmissable experience.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to PolderRecords for the promo.

Pull & Repulsion is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via PolderRecords.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Prog Stoner Rockers Vitskär Süden Premiere New Video For R’lyeh From New Album VESSEL

Progressive Stoner Rockers Vitskär Süden have just released their excellent new album Vessel today on esteemed Hard Rock Label RIPPLE MUSIC and we're excited to premiere the new video for one of the standout tracks "R’lyeh" which you can watch below:

The works of H.P. Lovecraft have always bubbled beneath the surface of Vitskär Süden’s music, the band considering themselves to be purveyors of weird fiction and cosmic horror in musical form. Storytelling has been present on all three V.S. albums, whether in a literal or figurative sense, so it seemed only natural to nod to the sunken city where great Cthulhu dwells in one of the band’s tracks.

“I believe I began singing the city’s name, R’lyeh, as temp vocals when we were working this song out and it just seemed to stick,” says vocalist/bassist Martin Garner. “We’d been building around the track’s main guitar riff for a few years and always been planning to do something with it – we Easter-egged it on our previous record The Faceless King within the spacey section of the song “The Way – Part 1” – and I suppose Lovecraft just chose this moment to make his appearance.”

In that spirit, the music video for “R’lyeh” features footage from a 2005 silent film version of The Call of Cthluhu directed by Andrew Leman, who co-runs the HP Lovecraft Historical Society based out of Los Angeles. Garner had contacted Leman early in the writing process to ask about the correct pronunciation of the fabled mythical city, but Leman assured him that the city’s name was in the alien tongue of the Great Old Ones and impossible to pronounce via the human vocal apparatus. So there was really no wrong way to pronounce it. That being the case, Garner pronounced it the way it sang best.

As for the music itself – three members of the band found themselves stranded from longtime drummer Christopher Martin for part of the recording process, and guitarist Julian Goldberger crafted an ARP and drum sequencer part so the rest of the band could begin tracking the elements of “R’lyeh”. The band fell in love with it and it became the heartbeat and foundation of the track.

“I’d been listening to a ton of Depeche Mode at the time and those sounds were creeping into my periphery,” says Garner. “I’m also a huge fan of John Carpenter’s film music, so I was fully ready to hear what the ARP might sound like turned loose in the dark soundscape of our Vitskär Süden world. Having the ARP in play also allowed me to get up into the midrange with the bassline a bit, since it was holding down the low end. So it really influenced and redefined what was happening sonically in the track.”

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for all of the info.

Vessel is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Urzah - The Scorching Gaze (Album Review)

Release Date: May 03rd 2024. Record Label: APF Records. Formats: CD/DD/Cassette

The Scorching Gaze: Tracklisting

1.I, Empyrean 04:21

2.Lacrimare (Misery's Shadow) 05:08

3.Immateria Noir 07:05

4.(Interlude) 00:51

5.A Storm Is Ever Approaching 03:40

6.The Aesthetic 01:45

7.Of Decay 03:52

8.Thera I: Sea Of Flames 09:08

9.Thera II: Embers Of Descent 05:58

Band Members

James Brown - Drums

Ed Fairman - Vocals and guitar

Les Grodek - Bass

Tom McElveen - Guitar

Review

Sludge/Stoner Metallers Urzah bring a Progressive Metal energy to their blistering debut album The Scorching Gaze which sees the band tread the path dominated by the likes of Mastodon, Baroness and High On Fire. However, Urzah proves they can hold their own with their wicked style of music that combines Groove, Thrash, Psych and Post-Metal soundscapes. The record has some sublime thrash beats and breakdowns that are heard very early on within the album on the excellent opening tracks of Empyrean and Lacrimare (Misery's Shadow).

There’s a slight Hardcore sound that almost verges into metalcore territory which perhaps comes mostly through Ed’s aggressive vocals which he performs like a seasoned veteran throughout the album. You can hear echoes of bands such as Cave In, Old Man Gloom and even Elder when the band ventures into Psychedelic waters. The soundscapes are vast and quite distant when they appear but they also give The Scorching Gaze a more cinematic sound.

Urzah have a great way of combining the harsher and violent instrumental sounds with the more charismatic Psychedelic Stoner Metal grooves which meet on the battlefield of intense Groove Metal/Post-Metal dynamics on the sublime tracks of Immateria Noir, A Storm Is Approaching and the brilliantly monolithic two part tracks of Thera I: Sea Of Flames and Thera II: Embers Of Descent.

You can see why the band has supported and played with the likes of BONGZILLA, OHHMS, Dopelord, Tuskar and Grave Lines. The record oozes class from every level with Urzah proving to be quite a true force of nature with the creative ideas and sounds contained on this album. The Scorching Gaze is one wild and unpredictable ride which will impress you with the multiple different styles of Sludge/Stoner Metal that Urzah have at their disposal.

This is an album you simply cannot ignore and with the record having superb production values throughout, Urzah have delivered the goods with this release. 

Outstanding. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Frenchie PR Trail for the promo.

Hidden will be available to buy now on CD/DD/Cassette via APF Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | Linktree

Yellowknife's GNARWHAL Get Ready For A Stoner Sludge "War / Nothing More" With Latest Single Off Upcoming EP “Altered States” Out May 2024

From the far reaches of the Canadian North in the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife's award-winning (Best New Single at the 2022 Music NWT Awards) Gnarwhal are bringing forth their doomy stoner sludge rock sound to the masses with their forthcoming EP "Altered States" due out on May 24th, 2024.

Unveiling singles "Tides" and the EP's title tracks over the last few weeks, the quartet is getting ready with their latest peek at the release with "The War/Nothing More", which is actually two songs that the band wrote at completely different times and thought they would work well stitched together.

Guitarist Benji Straker comments:

"I wrote The War shortly after we finished recording our first album. At that same time, I was writing music for my Hughes project EP so lyrically and thematically it fit right in line with that. Once I finished it, I actually released it as an acoustic solo version on the EP, Here I Am. The Nothing More demo was written shortly after and musically it was inspired by my classic post-hardcore/punk influences. I think Refused would be the main driver of the rhythm on this track."

Vocalist Mark Kilbride adds:

"In Nothing More, I am fond of the lyric: “Shed your skin to make it”. This part relates to putting in the work day in and day out, wanting something so bad you are willing to do anything just to grasp it. Pushing your own boundaries, knowing you put the time and effort into your vision. “Whole again you can’t fake it”: Being authentic. To be whole this character has to believe in this process and be present in his delivery of the songs."

Listen to "The War / Nothing More" at https://youtu.be/IOTBEVpGFlE

​

The band's sophomore record, “Altered States” promises to deliver a diverse and introspective musical journey in which the band artfully navigates the realms of heavy alternative fuzz rock and progressive metal, creating a sound that is uniquely their own.

"We hope our progression as a band and as songwriters appeals to our fans and listeners. The Altered States EP is a bit darker and maybe heavier than our first one. Conceptually and thematically, the songs on the EP fit together better as a package and we hope this is conducive to a front-to-back experience for listeners." says Srtaker.
​
Recommended for fans of Kyuss, Mastodon, and Elder, “Altered States” is due out on May 24, 2024, and available for pre-order at https://gnarwhalband.bandcamp.com​

Previous singles

Lyric Video - “Altered States” - https://youtu.be/yLtXbxLuFrY​

Lyric Video - “Tides” - https://youtu.be/ix726UB1FKU​

Track Listing:​
1. Tides (3:37)
2. The War / Nothing More (6:36)
3. From Her Hands (3:46)
4. Altered States (3:19)

More info: Gnarwhalband.com | Facebook.com/gnarmusic | Instagram.com/gnarwhalsounds

Thanks to Asher Media for all of the info.

Swedish Sludge/Doom/Hardcore outfit Circle of Nerves' second single "Funeral Mind" out May 24

Forged in the cauldron of rage and hate, Circle of Nerves is a beast like no other. The new Swedish group draw from the trappings of sludge, doom, and hardcore, but strangle the sounds into something truly evil, and white-hot in its fury. Touches of industrial and death metal lurk in the jarring low end and throat-shredding vocals, and it all combines into a seething, lumbering mass of bad intentions. Only annihilation awaits.

Following their debut single and music video "Pain is my drug", mixed and mastered by Esben Willems, Circle of Nerves flip the groove switch with second single "Funeral Mind". Blast beats are traded for thick and murky low end nod, as the bass throbs through the band's descent into the doomier corners of sludge metal.

Still caustic and unrelenting in their extremity, the four-piece slow the pace and dig into righteous grooves on their second slab of sonic madness. Bringing to mind the likes of Buzzoven and Weedeater, Circle of Nerves prove on "Funeral Mind" that theirs is a deep arsenal of cruel and bloodied tools, wielded with murderous intent in their siege on the heavy underground.

IN THE BAND'S OWN WORDS:

“Circle of Nerves is a metal band hailing from Stockholm and Gothenburg and has been active since 2023. Our music blends elements of doom, sludge, and hardcore, with lyrics delving into spirituality, death, and serial killers.

Our second single is titled 'Funeral Mind,' and is slated for release on May 24, 2024. We will continue to record new music and collaborate with Esben Willems again in August 2024.

When you hear our music for the first time, you'll understand that rage and hate is a dark art".

Single out May 24, 2024 (Digital) - Self-released - Stockholm, Sweden

Circle of Nerves is:

Gc - Vocals

Marko Broström - Guitar

Anton Melin - Drums

Erick Torres - Bass

Track:

Funeral Mind (5:27)

Mixed and Mastered by Esben Willems

Links:

Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram
Spotify
TikTok

Pre-save "Funeral Mind": Distrokid

Live: - Debut at Klubb Fredagsmangel

Thanks to Good Boy PR for all of the info.