Catching up

So you might have noticed that I haven't put up a new article for a few months. What can I say but holy crap I have been busy! Who'd have thought that it actually takes time to do well in school? A thousand apologies to all bands I've seen and not officially reviewed. My memory is hazy due to the time between now and then, but here's a vague recollection of the shows that I've seen and haven't had a chance to properly review. Because of such fog in my memories, I don't feel like I can give numerical reviews (which I'm lukewarm on anyhow) out, so these will just be writeups.

All Them Witches, Across Tundras, and Windhand at Dino's on August 20th
This was my first time at Dino's, which to me seemed to just be a burger and bar joint with some space in the corner where somebody said "Hey Dino! What should we use the corner for?" "I don't know... how bout a band or two?" So basically the space is tiny. I've been to house shows with more room. Not only was it small, but the acoustics were pretty poor as well. It may have just been shitty PA systems, but vocals were scant with all three bands. Despite these blemishes, each band gave pretty great performances.

All Them Witches

All Them Witches are a local stoner rock outfit with a more serious, almost earnest soulful edge. I was reminded of Asteroid and Kyuss a bit when listening to their sound. Definitely worth checking out.

 Second up was Windhand. These guys are from Richmond VA, and feature Parker Chandler of Cough on bass, so you'll understand that I felt like an absolute ass-kisser wearing my Cough shirt to this show. Their tone was amazing, like getting sucked down into a tar pit by the balls. Just, so thick and gooey. My skin vibrated during their entire set. They also lit some incense, which was a nice touch. The only downside to their set was that despite how much my brain tried to imagine hearing it, I could not hear the girl singing at all, despite being less than five feet away from her. Her voice sets Windhand apart from other similar sludge/doom acts, so it was a bit of a disappointment not to hear her. Still, the rest of the band was unbelievably heavy, so it wasn't a total loss.

Last up was Across Tundras. I first saw Across Tundras with a much different lineup 2 years ago, so it was a treat to see them again. This time though, Tanner had recruited Mikey and Joey from Hellbender to play guitar and bass, respectively. Despite the subpar acoustics, they played a kickass show, and Tanner was nice enough to give me a Sage LP, so look for that review in the future.

Biipiigwan, Sons of Tonatiuh, Brother Ares, and T.G. Olson at Springwater on August 31st
Oh Springwater... You are terrible but I love you for it. On this night, Across Tundras' leading man TG Olson played a solo acoustic set, which included one of my favorite Across Tundras jam Stone Crazy Horse. The rest of the set he played what I can only describe as droney campfire songs with a solemn attitude. It was mesmerizing.

Sons of Tonatiuh

Sons of Tonatiuh (pronounced "Tahn-ah-tea-ah") are a fantastic crusty sludge trio from Atlanta. These guys rock. Their sound is rough and serrated, and their hardcore vocals are exactly what's called for. Their 7" was worth every penny of the $3 I paid for it.

Biipiigwan

Biipiigwan are death sludge from all the way up in Ottawa, Canada. I hope Springwater was luxurious enough for them... Their sound, like Sons of Tonatiuh is pretty much just straight forward no bullshit heavy shit. When I talked to him afterwards, singer Musqwaunquot Rice said that most of their music was about Ojibwe ideas and theology. I picked up their LP God's Hooks and I'm very glad I did.

Mi hermanos Brother Ares played a killer set as well, and may have even debuted a new song. I think they did. I can't remember. Regardless, even Blake and Gore described this show as one of their best ones, and no one knows better than they do.

Hull, Hellbender, and All Them Witches at Springwater on September 1st
This was my second time seeing All Them Witches, and essentially the reason why I'm bothering to write this terribly long catch-up article in the first place. These guys kick ass, and deserved to be written about. So I apologize deeply to you men in All Them Witches with your stylish hair and dapper facial hair, I shall give you a full review next time I see you. Your music is groovy and enticing and you deserve a far larger audience than what you have.

Hellbender! These guys rule. Not only are they probably the best local band, but such nice guys. It's always a treat to see their shows, because hanging out with Mikey and Joey is just as much of a treat as their set itself. Their set that night was as great as ever, and I was left grinning.

Hull (no, not that crappy Courtney Love band) are a band from Brooklyn who aren't the easiest to describe. They have some crunch like sludge, their vocals are similar to Old Man Gloom's Aaron Turner's finest bark, and they aren't afraid to melt your face with a solo or two. If it were up to me, I'd just call it Triumph Metal. Their music, to me, seems to express a notion of fighting hard in whatever battle you may be embroiled in, but precisely at the moment when the battle has turned in your favor. It felt like the moment when you've caught the football, the game's almost over, and you realize that you are going to score the winning touchdown. That moment of realized victory is what Hull feels like.

Hellbender, Haarp, and Black Tusk at the End

What a night this night was. There were shows galore this night, from The Darkness playing somewhere nearby, to The Body and Sky Burial, to Ascent of Everest at the High Watt. And then of course, there was the show I went to: Hellbender, Haarp, and Black Tusk at the End. I think I chose right, what a fantastic star-studded evening of zazz this turned out to be! I arrived on the scene at what I thought was a few minutes late for the beginning of the show, only to find that not only was it not for another hour, but Hank III, his son C4, Jimmy Bower of Eyehategod, Kirk from Crowbar and a few others were hanging out on the curb. Hanging out with these guys, drinking beers, smoking cigs, and hearing stories about how Wino of Saint Vitus/The Obsessed was a crazy speedfreak motherfucker with a different girl every night felt like a privilege. But these guys were so cool that they'd probably scoff at such notions. After a good bit of shit was shot, the first band began to play, and everybody went inside.

First up was Hellbender.

If you've known me very well over the past three months or so, then you'll know that I bitch and moan about missing Hellbender each time they come to town, despite having owned and reviewed their full-length LP "Cosmolux" (scroll down a few posts to see for yourself.). I had initially planned on seeing Sky Burial and The Body tonight, but as soon as I heard that Hellbender was filling in for Lung at this show, I knew I couldn't miss them again. Boy was I right!

These guys were unbelievable. Groovy, psychedelic, and doomsome. It was beautiful. They really know how to start from something simple, like a nice bass or guitar riff, and jam it all the way up to its fullest extent. Everyone was completely in sync with everyone else, like a giant lysergic heartbeat. And guitarist Joey's fingers, good lord! They never stopped moving! No wonder that guitar string broke, no way that thing could take so much stress! It was restrung in a heartbeat, however, and the show went on beautifully. If you can't tell already, I am overwhelmingly glad I went and saw these guys, as they may have made some of the best live music I've ever heard.
9.5/10, easily.

Check out the badass 7" I picked up!



Next up was New Orleans' bangers Haarp.

Wow. These guys make music for your guts. By that I mean if you just put on some dinky headphones and listen to them, you'll probably go "meh, these guys aren't so great". These guys aren't headphone music. This is cranked up all the way in your car, huge stereo, seven-subwoofer slamtastic shit. Fuck your head, fuck your ears, fuck your mind. This is music for your guts. These guys rumble up from the core of your being and shake you all the way back down. This shit is almost death sludge, like a dying Argentinosarus' last cries while being sucked under a tar pit swamp. These guys start and don't stop the pummeling punishment until they've had their fill.

Look who showed up to party!

Their vocalist Shaun Emmons got down into the audience and stayed there for most of the set, roaring at all of us like he wanted to make sure that each and every one of us heard him, and felt his presence. What a voice this man has! Sometimes he would scream and sometimes he would growl, and all of it was with his whole body. And who else would shout lyrics into the mic along with him? None other than Phil Anselmo! Haarp is signed to Phil's label Housecore Records, and I think I heard somebody say that Down had just played close by recently and was off that night, so he, Jimmy, Kirk, and the other guys from Down must have decided to swing by in support of Haarp. It's hard for me not to sound like a squealing schoolgirl here, but goddamn was it cool to see Phil Anselmo in person.

Anyway, the guitar/bass riffs were sick. My only real complaint is that I wish these guys would have been a bit more dynamic. They threw in a few tasty odd time signature stanzas to keep things interesting, but perhaps a quiet section here or there might have increased the heavy parts by contrast. But, that's not really my call to make.
8.5/10

I wish they had a bandcamp, but I guess reverbnation is cool...


The last band of the night was Black Tusk out of Savannah, Georgia.

Getting a good picture of these guys was ridiculously difficult.
They never stopped moving.

I need to confess something. I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder when it comes to Savannah sludge. Kylesa and Baroness, though pretty cool in their own right, really don't do too much for me. It's just really not heavy or doomy enough for me. It's plenty cool, just not... you get the picture. With that said, Black Tusk is probably the best Savannah sludge group I've heard. They play heavy, groovy stoner riffs at a midtempo pace with head-bobbing hardcore aesthetic. And did I mention everybody sings? Everyone in this band fucking sings. I haven't made up my mind fully about this facet, but I'm leaning more towards the "that's pretty cool" end of the spectrum. The best part is, each of their voices adds something a little different to the mix. Guitarist Andrew Fidler's shouts are high, bassist Jonathan Athon's are low, and drummer Jamie May's are somewhere in the middle. So when one member is playing a difficult passage, another might be on vocal duties. It keeps you on your toes in a fun way.

These guys were a whole lot fun. They might not be punchiest, the slowest, the doomiest, or the heaviest band, but boy were they fun. These guys were having a blast on stage, and it translates pretty well to the audience. You can feel their energy as they shred out a swampy punky riff in unison, or when Jamie beats the skins while yelling, or when Andrew lifts the guitar high above his head and smacks it a few times for some good feedback. I'd say go see these guys life if you can; a lot of their records can't truly capture how much fun they are live.
8.3/10

Stream their shit here:


Keep reading Nashvile! If I can ever get my shit together, I should have a review of Brother Ares', Billy Castro's, and maybe even Sky Burial's latest releases soon!

Brother Ares, Dead Channels, Nothing But Wolves, and Across Tundras at the Muse

Ah the Muse. With your subpar acoustics and stodgy sound guys, you were always one of my places to see shows with earplugs in tow. Sadly, the Muse is slated to close at the end of May, so this might have been my last show there. Sad faces all 'round.

Anyway, first up at this possibly final gig was my good friends Brother Ares.
Good show like always. It's been too long to remember too many specifics, but one glaring thing I do remember is that Gore's vocals definitely weren't high enough in the mix. I'll chalk that up to the stodgy sound guy. Otherwise, great show as usual.
8.something/10

Look for my review of their new self-titled EP soon! Til then, give it a go yourself and form your own opinion.



Next up was Dead Channels.
These guys are from New York, so I probably shouldn't be reviewing them since I review Nashville bands, but whatever. They made it all the way from NY to here, so I feel like they deserve a little feedback. These guys were pretty sweet. They're a little hard to pin down, but if I had to, I'd characterize their sound as somewhere between High on Fire and Primus, with a hefty dose of KEN Mode thrown in. The vocals were shouted, and the guitarist was excellent. The riffs were a bit staccato for my taste, but not enough to be as annoying as the breakdowns in most deathcore. They made it work. I hope these guys come back soon.
8.6/10

Oh hey, these guys have a bandcamp too!



Third up was Nothing But Wolves.
These guys are from NY as well, and the same goes for them. These guys were definitely full-on hardcore. The singer was energetic, and the bassist was lively and sang a bit. Also, I could swear that the guitarist was in Mastodon. I never got to ask him, so I guess that thought will just bug me forever. Regardless, these guys were fun. I can't say they were especially innovative, but damn they were fun. If I'd known the words to their songs, you bet your ass that I would have been up there, screaming the lyrics while forehead to forehead with the singer.
7.9/10

Like them here!

Last but certainly not least was Across Tundras.
These guys are moving up in the world! Last I heard, they were recording with Neurosis' label, Neurot Recordings. If that doesn't qualify a band as badass, then I'm not sure what does anymore. Anyway, these guys have been through a lineup change or two since I saw them in March of 2010 with Junius and a few others. Thankfully, this hasn't deterred their sound much - these guys rock as hard as ever. With a mix of Metal, Country, and everything in between, these guys are soothing, hypnotic, and invigorating all at once. Twang metal? I'm not sure how I feel about that moniker.

However, partway through their set, disaster struck: guitarist/vocalist Tanner's guitar amp went out. After a powerful and decidedly angry kick to it, the thing still didn't work, so they decided to cut their set short. Sadface. Despite the shortened set, these guys still kicked ass. I hope they play close to home once more soon!
8.6/10

I was fortunate enough to snag one of their 7" splits with Hellbender (accompanied with a sweet poster), so I may review that in the near future if I get a chance. Since I think I posted that with a different review, here's Across Tundras' latest full release, Sage:


At the time of my writing of this entry, this blog has made it to over 1000 hits! Thanks so much to all 20 of you who have visited the page 50 times, it means a lot to me. Hopefully I'm on my way to writing this thing for actual money someday!

Hellbender's Cosmolux

I saw this band on fellow doomer Stonerobixxx's blog and figured they were worth a review or two. After all, these guys are from Cookeville, and I figure that's close enough to Nashville for me. They have a handful of releases, but it looks like this album, "Cosmolux", is their first full-length album. Though it clocks in at about 37 minutes with only 4 songs, it appears more like an EP than a full album, but don't let that dissuade you: this thing rocks.

It's a nice combination of pretty similar genres, doom metal and desert rock, with a good mix of hefty riffs and grooving soloing guitar. The album opens with "Neon Cross", a gorgeous heavy stoner rock piece with nicely understated vocals, driving riffs, and a groovy psychedelic feel. The second song, "The Ballad of Gray Livers" starts out as a mid-tempo doom tune, but soon simmers down to an almost Country (and not that pop Country shit) feel, like Johnny Cash on a particularly nice, lazy Sunday. The song doesn't sit still for very long however, and begins to slowly build to booming, fuzzy, gorgeously heavy crescendo, and rocks out until the end.

The next two songs are a two-parter, titled "Supergiant Pt1 & 2". Part 1 opens up with an almost drone feel, but a warm, you-know-something-is-coming drone. The swirling guitars fully kick in, and the lysergic landscape begins to open up. Definitely reminds me of Earthless, but with more of a psychedelic style. Part 2 begins, and down come the riffs. This is excellent, I'm not sure whether to bang my head or dance with it. The guitar solo is a little overpowering; personally I'd like to see the riffs take a bit more precedence. But that's a minor complaint, otherwise this song is fantastic. Everything starts to blend together at the end, speakers ring out, and we're left with a little bit of quickly echoing feedback. Excellent end to a superb album.

How many times have I used the word "psychedelic" in this review?
I recently saw Graveyard and Radio Moscow, two both purportedly psychedelic rock bands. While I seriously doubt those bands' psych tag, Hellbender absolutely embodies it to the fullest.

From desert rock to psychedelic rock to doom metal even to stripped-down country, these guys kill it all across the board.
8.75/10


Good news: They're releasing a split with Across Tundras (another group of rockin' Nashville dudes I should probably review). Check it out!



Better news: Almost all of Hellbender's stuff is free to download from their page!

ADDED Mon Feb 27: Just picked this up from Grimey's on Friday.

This thing is crystal clear, you can hear all the parts really nicely.

The cloudy blue vinyl is just plain awesome.