Serpent Crown/Self Titled/Horror Pain Gore Productions/2013 CD Review

  Serpent  Crown  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2013  album  which  was  released  by  Horror  Pain  Gore  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  sludge  and  thrash  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  along  with  some  hardcore  elements,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  old  school  and  melodic  sounding  thrash  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  old  school  power/thrash  metal  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  mythology  themes,  as  for  the  production   it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Serpent  Crown  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  thrash  metal  and  sludge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Prelude  To  The  Netherworld'  and  "Children  Of  The  Night".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

The Chewers/Chuckle, Change, And Also/2013 CD Review

  The  Chewers  are  a  band  from  West  Virginia    that  plays  a  very  experimental  form  of  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Chuckle,  Change,  And  Also".

  Drums  are  all  slow  playing with  no  fast  drumming,  while  the  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  riffs  that  combine  rock,  experimental,  avant  garde  and  blues  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  along  with  a  brief  use  of  metal  influences  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  as  for  the  sound  effects  when  they  are  utilized    bring  more  avant  garde  elements  to  the  album.

  Vocals  are mostly  spoken  word  parts  with  some  clean  singing  being  used  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  humorous  and  everyday  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear   all  of  the  musical  instruments  that are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  The  Chewers  are  a  very  sounding  sounding  avant  garde,  experimental  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Can't  Sleep"  "(LATER)"  "Down  There"  and  "Funnel  Head".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

New Keepers Of The Water Towers Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

 

We've been rehearsing the new material a lot, moulding it to a live setting. Next week we have the first date of many where we will preform the cosmic child in its entirety so were just about heading out of the two year process of creating this thing and are readying ourselves to ride this wave, in to the cosmos.  

And yeah! We've got an old friend joining us on keyboards and that's pretty awesome 

 

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?

 

To me, it's less traditionall rock and metal, and more what made the older music stick out from the stoner metal scene.  We've tried to refine what makes us what we are as a band and we'll continue doing so is the plan. Having less musical influence from other people, diving deeper in to unknown sounds and new moods.

 

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

It's a reflection of the lives we, the writers, have lived so far. Like my young minds hybris and victors hate for monotonus work and needless process and conflict. Then we've put those experiences and insights through different theistic standpoints. I've ingenered it to progress as a path from ignorance to enlightenment. We strongly oppose religion and are firm believers in the mothods of science, reason and eternal death.

4.I know that the album title was inspired by Carl Sagan, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in his theories

 

Well as far as I know, Sagan hasn't brought any substantial new theories to the table. What he did was to publish the cosmological theories of his time in an accessible and pretty awesome package, with a great original soundtrack. Our new album reflects a cosmic perspective of lifes begginings and ends. Carl, with a little help from our collective friend cannabis, have helped me and many others to gain the intrest and base knowledge to find out the relative truths in these subjects.

 

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Oh that is a very tricky question to ask oneself! For me, a great show is where I can feel calm and be absorbed in to the music. Those are often the small dark venues with irattionally loud stage volumes. We've done loads of lovely shows but one in a semi-legal club, where I ended up working as stage manager for a year, stands out. 20 people in the audience and we were a little drunk, smoking on stage. I think our standards are higher now so I don't know if it'll ever be that much fun again.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

A small bunch of festivals and a short European tour have been booked so far, but our booking and management deals are still fresh out of the oven so we'll get up to speed as time progresses.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the new album by fans of doom metal?

It has been overwhelming, I was almost prepared to have the album refused by the label since I didn't think this kind of music suited the typical metal head. But we've received great reviews all around so far and people seem to get what we are trying to accomplish. A big thanks to all the people who decide to head out of their comfort zone to give us a fighting chance is in order!

 

8.What is going on with the other musical projects these days?

We're jamming out with grass eating man regularly. Me and our stage keyboard player, Adam, formed the first incarnation of GEM more than 10 years ago and we are just now working on our first EP! It's a brutal doom band were I play the drums and everyone sings. And the material we have going on now is just bloody gruesome. I'm fucking exited about that.

 

9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We're working on new music right now, you can expect the same kind of bombastic dynamics and doomyness but were trying to scale down a bit on the grandiose and are stepping in to even more obscure harmonies. It's gonna be a blast ripping out some new stuff, we're actually playing a few new things live already.

 

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Nothing fancy, 70s prog, some metals. I listen to a selective few bands in most genres. From yob through electric wizard to camel ,tame impala, eek a mouse and Gösta berlings saga. Depends on the set and setting! I've found a lot of inspiration for the cosmic child in the 70s wave of British prog, genesis, king crimson and all that.

11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Not much time left over between work, rehearsals and chillin with da herb I'm afraid. Some of us have been having some epic conquestadorial campaigns in heroes of might and magic VI lately haha.

12.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for not asking about our bands name. Cheers!

Dogs For Breakfast/The Sun Left These Places/Subsound Records/2013 CD Review

  Dogs  For  Breakfast  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  noise  rock  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "The  Sun  Left  These  Places"  which  was  released  by  Subsound  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present on  this  recording,  while the  synths  bring  a  dark  and  avant  garde  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  riffs  that  combine  sludge  and  noise  rock  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  punk  influences  and  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  noise  rock  style  screams  and  shouts  along  with  some  sludge  elements  being thrown  into the  vocals  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on t his  recording  with  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.  

  In  my  opinion  Dogs  For  Breakfast  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  noise  rock  and  sludge  and  if  you  are a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "January"  "Father  Sea"  "Tsaatan"  and  "The  Chariot  of  Death".  RECOMMENDED  BUY. 

Beast In The Field/The Sacred Above, The Sacred Below/Saw Her Ghost Records/2013 CD Review

  Beast  In  The  Field  are  a  band  from  Detroit,  Michigan  that  plays  an  instrumental  from  of  stoner/doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "The  Sacred  Above,  The  Sacred  Below" which  was  released  by  Saw  Her  Ghost  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  no  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  tribal  sounding  percussion  work,  while  there  are  no  bass  guitars  present  on  this  recording,  as  for  the  sound  effects  which  are  only  use  briefly  bring  a  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  sound  to  the  album.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  heavy  and  dark  riffs  that  combine  doom  and  stoner  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  which  are  only  utilized  are  very  70's  orientated  70  heavy  metal/hard  rock  guitar  solos  and  leads,    as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  which  are  only  used  briefly  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  psychedelic  elements  to  the  album.

  Vocals  and  song  writing  are  all  absent  from  this  recording  with  the  music  being  all  instrumental,  while  the  song  themes  cover  Native  American  Shamanism,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  to  it  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Beast  In  The  Field  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  stoner/doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hollow  Horn"  "Wakan  Tanka"  "Oncoming  Avalanche"  and  "Covered  by  Clouds,  Eaten  By  Snakes".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Indicative/Self Titled/Qanat Records/2013 CD Review

  Indicative  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  an  instrumental  mixture  of  progressive  metal,  hardcore,  post  math  rock  and  experimental  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2013  album which  was  released  by  Qanat  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing that  dominates  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  sound  effects  when  they  are  utilized  bring  in  avant  garde/experimental  elements  to  the  album.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from slow  to  mid  paced  riffing t hat  combines  progressive  metal,  hardcore,  post  math  rock  and  experimental  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  melody  and  clean  playing  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  experimental  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  and  song  writing  are  all  absent  from  the  recording  with  the  music  being  all  instrumental  except  for  some  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  song  themes  cover  everyday  life,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Indicative  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  post  math  rock/metal  band  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Watt  69"  "Why?  Because"  "Tuning"  and  "St.  Anthony's  Fire".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

La Colpa/Mutuo Perpeto/Noise Factory/Club Inferno/2013 EP Review

  La  Colpa  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  post  metalcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  ep  "Mutuo  Perpeto"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Noise  Factory  and  Club  Inferno.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  no  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  stoner  rock,  alternative,  post  hardcore  and  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  being thrown  into  the  riffing  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  hardcore  style  yelling  to  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Latin  and cover  dreams,  actions,  and  escapes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  La  Colpa  are  a  very  great  sounding  post  metalcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mutou Perpeto"  and  "II  Nostro  Passo".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.