Gypsy Chief Goliath/Citizens Of Nowhere/Pitch Black Records/2016 CD Review

  Gypsy  Chief  Goliath  are  a  band  from  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  stoner  metal  with  a  touch  of  blues  and  rock'n'roll  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Citizens  Of  Nowhere"  which  was  released  by  Pitch  Black  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  classic rock  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  70's  proto  metal  style  and  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  blues  rock  style  and  you  can  also  hear  melodies  in  the  riffing  along  with  the  heaviness of  doom  metal.

  Most  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  while t here  are  a  lot  of  retro  elements  in  the  songs  the  album  still  sounds  very  modern  and  the  vocals  also  get  very  aggressive  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  harmonica's  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  a  later  track  also  brings  in  a brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  psychedelic elements  briefly  returning  back  to  a  harder  direction  and  they  close  the  album with  a  cover  of  Black  Sabbath's  "Killing Yourself  to  Live".

  Chief  Gypsy  Goliath  plays   a  musical  style  that  takes  stoner  metal  and  mixes  it  with  doom  and  blues  rock  to  create  a  very  retro  influenced  yet  modern  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  apocalypse,  space,  time  travel  and  highway  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Chief  Gypsy  Goliath  are  a very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner  metal  and  blues  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Sting"  "Black  Samurai"  "We  Died  For  This"  and  "killing  Yourself  To  Live".  8  out  of  10.

  

 

Boudain/Way Of The Hoof/2016 Full Length Review

  Boudain  are  a  band from  Louisiana  that  plays  a  stoner  form  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album "Way  Of  The  Hoof".

  A  very  dark and  melodic  retro  rock  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  70'd  doom  metal  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  in  the  aggressive  vein  while still  having  a  good  sense  of  melody  to  them  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  while  there  is  a  lot  of  old  school  elements  the  music  still  sounds  modern.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  very  melodic proto  metal  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  elements  of  stoner  rock  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  90's  influences  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  tribal style  drumming  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  tracks  that are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  which  also  introduces  spoken  word  parts  to the  recording  and  the  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Blue  Oyster  Cult's  "Godzilla".

  Boudain  plays  a  musical  style t hat  mixes  stoner  rock  and  doom  metal  together  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Boudain  are  a  very  great  sounding  stoner/doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Neptune"  "The  Mighty  Turn  Around"  and  "Godzilla".  8  out  of  10.

      

     

Atala/Shaman's Path Of The Serpent/2016 Full Length Review

  Atala  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  progressive  sludge  and  stoner  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  self  released  2016  album  "Shaman's  Serpent  Of  The  Path".

  A  very  distorted  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  vocals  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  and sludge  metal  elements.

  Most  of t he  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  alter  songs  also  bring  in  more  stoner  rock  elements  and  the  music  also  starts  getting  more  progressive  as  the  album  progresses  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  tribal  and  shamanistic  style  drumming  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  ritualistic  atmosphere  and  a  couple  of  later  tracks  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  all  of  the  songs  also  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction..

  Atala  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  desert  rock  and mixes  ti  with  progressive,  sludge  and  stoner  metal  to  create  a  style  of t heir  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Shamanism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Atala  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive  sludge  and  stoner  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "King  Solomon"  and  "Shapeshifter".  8  out  of  10.

  

Black Magic Fools Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
1.    Since the new album release we have been busy with promoting it and finding people who want to help us with that hard work. We have been sending records all over the planet for reviews in magazines, interviews in radio channels and much more. No one is going to knock on our door, hard work always pays of in the end. It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock´n roll.


2.In February you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
1.    This album is much harder and more raw than we’ve sounded in the past, the lyrics are darker and now we know how we want to sound. When we started the band back in 2008 it was just for fun and we were playing more traditional medieval music mixed with rock. Some of us wanted to sound like Eluveitie and others didn’t like metal at all. But with new band members we found our unique sound and we are very pleased with the result of our new album.


3.This is the first album to be released in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
1.    Band members came and left over the years, we did not have the time for writing new songs and recording new albums and we did not know in which direction the band was heading. It was very hard for the band but for the better. Now we are better than ever before !



4.The new recording is a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrics?
1.    It’s a true story about the life of musicians in the medieval ages. The church really hated them and called them fools, for playing and spreading the devils music and people swallowed all their lies. The words from priests was the law and the voice of god. People wanted music as much as we do today but back then it was a sin to get drunk, dance and making love to the melody of a bagpipe and the beat of a drum. Our poor fool in the lyrics are almost  schizophrenic and having problems knowing who he really is. Is he a demon, a sinner or just a man ? Am I going to hell for my sins or is heaven and hell just a big fuckin lie? Who are you to teach right or wrong? The story tells that he sells his soul to the devil just to save his ass from the priests that destroys his instuments,  tortures him and cuts of his fingers and tounge.
   The devil helps him and in exchance the fool becomes the devils soul collector for all eternity. He is also taking a brutal revenge on those who almost killed him and he’s dancing on their graves.


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Black Magic Fools'?
1.    The inspiration is in the stories above. Black magic fools = fools who are playing the devils music and collect souls. Do you believe it’s true or is it just a ghost story?!


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
1.    Our best gigs so far must be the big Swedish festival Metaltown in Gothenburg 2013 and Hoernerfest outside Hamburg 2012 and 2015. If you go to a Black Magic Fools concert you are going to get hit by a great live performance with real instruments, not a fake show with prerecorded music. We want our crowd to feel all the emotions in our music like fear, angst, sympathy, anger, all with a sense of dark humour. Tears and laugh at the same time.


7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
1.    We want to do a tour with this album this year and/or the next and we are looking for agencies all over the world who can help us with that. Maybe as a support for bigger bands etc.


8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
1.    We are unsigned at the moment. We have not sent any records to labels and no label has contacted us yet. I guess we want to do things our own way and we want to have full control over our own music. We don’t want to sign with a label that in the end just steals all the revenues. But of course if the right label gives us a great deal we can’t resist, we may consider it.


9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of folk metal?
1.    The response on our new album has been very good. Fans of folkmetal all over the world tells us that we are different and unique. We don’t sound like any other band in the genre. We play an odd style of folkmetal that people either love or hate.


10.Are any of the other band members involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
We are all giving the band everything we got, so there are no time for other music projects outside the band for the moment. Black Magic Fools are also playing acoustic gigs at medieval festivals in the summer so that takes a lot of time as well.


11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
1.    We believe that we found our unique style and sound with this album and that we will continue on this track on the next album. We also hope that all members stay in the band and continues to create great music together. Maybe there will be another concept album, maybe harder, maybe more melodic. Just wait and see!


12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
1.    We have many different influences in the band. Everything from folk music groups like Garmarna to brutal Meshuggah. Other influences are Eluveitie, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, System of a Down and many other bands. When we started the band we wanted to sound like Eluveitie or In Extremo but we created  something else along the way.


13.What are some of your non musical interests?
1.    We are all working everyday of the week so there is little time left for other interests. Working out in the gym, trying to get in shape for the gigs or just hang out and drink beer in a local rock bar in Gothenburg. We are spending time with our familys and friends as much as possible. Some of us has got kids. Our drummer is the one making all our artwork, website creation, picture editing, video editing and handling our entire  company. It's awesome that he has these skills instead of having to be dependant on a record label doing everything for us.


14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
1.    Well we hope the readers of this interview like our new album and we really hope to play on a stage in your city or village very soon! Until then help us to spread the new album like the plague! Thanks! Cheers!

MuckRaker/Karmageddon/Eternal Sound/Membran/Code 7/2016 CD Re-Issue Review2014 Full Length Review

  MuckRaker  are  a band  from  Georgia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  rock  and  blue  collar  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Karmageddon"  which  was  re-issued  in  2016  as  a  joint  effort  between  Eternal  Sound,  Mebran  and  Code  7.

  A  very  melodic  southern  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  you  can  also h ear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  clean  singing  style  while  also  being  rough  at  times  and  while t he  music  still  sounds  very  modern  you  can  still  hear  a  great  amount  of  70's  influences.

 Most  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  more  of  a  classic  metal  feeling  to  the  recording and  bass  leads  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  album  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  back  up  vocals  and  one  track  brings  in  a  touch  of  punk  and  hardcore  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  MuckRaker  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  southern  metal  and  stoner  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  musical  style  they  call  'blue  collar  metal',  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  MuckRaker  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner  rock  and  blue  collar  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Karmegeddon"  "All  Hail  Mary"  "Warlord"  and  "Too  Much  Metal  For One  Hand".  8  out  of  10. 

Funeral Marmoori/The Deer Woman/Minotauro Records/2015 CD Review

  Funeral  Marmoori  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  psychedelic  form  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Deer Woman"  which  was  released  by  Minotauro  Records.

  A  70's  style  metal  guitar  solos  starts  off  the  album  and  all  of t he  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and a  few  seconds  later  heavy  doom  riffs,  clean  singing  and  psychedelic  keyboards  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  while  the  music  is  retro  the  way  the  band  approaches  the  songs  makes  it  sound  more  modern.  

  Most  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  occult  rock  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  on some  tracks  the  keyboards  bring  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  70's  horror  film  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  of  the  later  songs  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Death  SS's  "Profanation".

  Funeral  Marmoori  plays  a  style  of  doom  metal  that  is  rooted  in  the  90's  and  they  mix  it  in  with  a  more  psychedelic  style  which  also  makes  their  music  stand  out  a  little bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion Funeral  Marmoori  are  a  very  great  sounding  psychedelic  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Boletus  Satanas"  and  "Hunter  Lies".  8  out  of  10.     

 

Cemetery/Wind And Shadows/Caligari Records/2016 Cassette Review

  Cemetery are  a  band  with  members  from Illinois  and  New  York  and  plays  death  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  cassette  "Wind  And  Shadows"  which  was  released  by  Caligari  Records.

  A  very  melodic  yet  distorted  goth  rock  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  also  starts  getting  more  heavy  and  you  can   also  hear  a  lot  of  80's  death  rock  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recording  and  released  30  years  ago  and  they  also  add  elements  of  post  punk  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  or  mid  paced  direction.

 Cemetery  plays  a  style  of  death  rock  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  while  also  being  very  dark  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  metaphysical  and  poetic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cemetery  are a  very  great  sounding  death  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Justice"  "Almond  Eyes"  "Worms"  and  "Voices  From  The  heart".  8  out  of  10.