Laser Flames on the Great Big News s/t review

EVEN MORE ANTICIPATED THAN DUKE NUKEM FOREVER OR THE HD REMAKE OF WHICHEVER ZELDA IS NEXT, NASHVILE IS BACK! Maybe. Lots has been happening since I was making regular updates. I've been involved in a band or two, moved, taken the GRE twice, and have been in a blissful committed relationship with 3 beautiful Dungeons and Dragons groups. So is this NashVile's return for good? Who knows? I was given a review copy of this album and finally felt up to the task of putting pen to paper after battling worsening depression for a good while. Hell, I've barely been to a fraction of the number of shows I've attended in years past. But maybe a change of scenery and interesting future prospects (grad school? what the shit?) have done me good. I'll try to cover some shows I saw this summer soon, and another AOTY list as well. ANYWAY enough ado, on with the show!

What do Carrie Underwood and Laser Flames on the Great Big News have in common? I’ll get to the answer somewhere in here, hold on to your butts. Let me pull back first and give this release some context. With this album, Laser Flames on the Great Big News have FINALLY put out their debut after 4 years of being stuck in production/distribution.

At the time this record was recorded, Nashville was in the midst of experimenting with adding a touch of twang to heaviness. Bands like Hellbender (whose bassist/trombonist/etc. Mikey Allred engineered, mixed, and recorded this album) were mixing in windy plains-feeling acoustic intervals between big fat doom riffs, while Across Tundras took Neil Young and Townes Van Zandt into Earth’s deeper territories. Even Clorange had Carrie Acree’s dulcet sung melodies mixed in with Black Sabbath tones. Hearing this record finally come out, I can’t help but think about these bands and the sounds of those couple years.

    All this to say Laser Flames have a very interesting relationship with time. They have a sound that feels couched in times of cowboys and the West, but also harkens to the future, or maybe a future that has come to pass. The intro track sets the scene of what feels like Blade Runner but as a spaghetti western. This mixture of styles is rife through the whole album, as Clutch-inspired riffs morph to and from acoustic crooning between potent guitar and vocal duet John Judkins (Protomen, Rwake) and Stevie Bailey. Their gorgeous vocal interplay goes a long way to separate this outfit from similar outfits. They go from doing their best Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner impression to screaming like black metal banshees, especially at the end of the floridly manic Beloved.

Sun Wheel, Motherplant, Black Tar Prophet, Holy Mountain Top Removers at Springwater (+Shroud Eater)

After a quite pregnant pause, it is time to give birth to some much-delayed show reviews! I think, for my own sake, I'm going to group the past shows I've seen by month (which means that May is going to end up the disproportionately large triplet due to that week of shows I attended.). Fuck it, I'll just do it one show at a time. It's easier to read and write this way. Enough with the weird birth jokes though, let's get these writeups going!

I considered not writing anything up the last show I saw in February due to the headlining band not really needing any press from me. The trio that is Shroud Eater has begun to blow up enough to be covered by legitimate metal news sites. I changed my mind when I heard their new release however. Everybody needs to hear it. If Matt Pike was secretly two women and a Scott Ian lookalike in disguise, that would be awesome. Also it would sound kind of like this.


ooh and I just learned about this "jump break" thing, I guess you have to click on the link headline if you want to read about the other shows in March the bands listed in the header. Unless you've already clicked. I'm not sure how it works yet.

Black Tar Prophet, Forest of Tygers, Gorgantherron, and the Holy Mountaintop Removers at The End 1/26

And here we are again, it's time for another installment of NashVile! This highly titillating entry takes place at one of the best sounding places in Nashville, The End.

First up was low end assailants Black Tar Prophet. Prior to this show, guitarist Mark Owen had said in a facebook post on the band page that he would be returning this year. I spoke to drummer turned bassist Greg Swinehart before the show and he told me that there was some strife, and that he'd just had enough of him, so Mark was out. Thus, the band remained a twosome. Playing a three-string bass, Greg belted out some gut-rearranging stoner doom grooves while drummer Erik Dever  banged away on drums, even throwing in a (still rather slow) blastbeat on a new song. Greg had some new cabs which had intense power. These guys are really going for the groove of Om and the crunch of Bongripper while trying to approach the volume levels of Sunn O))). Punishing to the uninitiated, these guys aim to make you feel their music as much as hear it. Listen to their split with Crawl from Atlanta:

Also, creepy x-ed out mannequin heads.

Second was Forest of Tygers. Brand new band, very first show! Featuring the talents of Jim Valosik of Nashville-native band Serotonin on guitar and vocals, his wife Rachel Valosik on drums, and Niki Carolan of Tijuana Goat Ride on noisy keyboard and vocals. Stylistically, they blew me away. The guitars were beautiful and flowing at times while violent and aggressive at others. A looping pedal was utilized some; at a few points, a riff was recorded and looped so that tasty licks could be played on top. The looper in conjunction with a pedal that sent differently effected signals to different amps really gave a lot of depth not usually found in trios. Supporting all of this depth was drummer Rachel. At first glance, I didn't notice much about her, aside from her Young and in the Way shirt, which should have been a tip-off because once she started playing my jaw hit the floor. These guys borrow a little from hardcore, black metal, post-hardcore, sludge, post-metal, and D-beat, and this girl can handle them all. Her runs and blastbeats had me impressed. Riding on top of all this are the vocals of Niki Carolan, whose screams rounded out the sound well. I wanted her to make use of the noisy keyboard, I could barely make it out, but that's my only complaint on an otherwise auspicious beginning. Check out the performance for yourself:





Third up was Gorgantherron. These guys are from Evansville, IN and play some pretty righteous stoner metal. According to their facebook description they're actually chimps sent into space in 1968 but after being evolved and trained in the ways of black and doom metal by the Andromedian race of Gorgantherrons, they returned to Earth to warn us of our selfish ways. You seriously need to read it, I laughed pretty hard. Sonically though, their sound is heavy but also nice and round and warm. It's got a great, lumbering-yet-groovy sound that's reminiscent of the greats like Sleep and Black Sabbath. The vocals were especially reminiscent of Sleep, namely on the mighty epic Dopesmoker. Great fuzzy riffs galore. Give 'em a listen, and make sure to see if you can find their photo of them in their astronaut suits:


Last up was newcomers Holy Mountaintop Removers. Borrowing members from local country-doom jammers Hellbender, this trio took jams to the next level. They started out playing as fast as they could, and nowhere near in sync. They came together for some bluesy fuzzed out rock, but at one point the drummer (who's actually a guitar player in Hellbender) was hitting cymbal with a maraca and tambourine. When not playing in free jazz mode, the bass kept time in pulsing fashion, but things got droney when the bassist switched to synthesizer. He mashed the keys as everyone else delved into chaos, but once retreating from madness, those same keys were put to good droning, melodic use. As for the guitars, that guy could shred with the best of them, but he also busted out some toe-tapping melodies when everyone's decided that yeah okay we can play together sometimes. Overall, these guys were a fantastic and even inspiring example of what free jazz and doom rock could sound like together, and I'm excited to see what they do next. I'd post some of their stuff here, but there's nothing to post! No links or nothing. Only thing left to do is get out and go to one of these shows. So do it!

Another show post come and gone. Look for my upcoming writeup of 3 post-hardcore bands and one black/doom band at a house show soon!

TG Olson, Poor Faulkner, and Brother Ares at Betty's Bar and Grill

Hello again boys and girls, it's time for another show writeup! Got a good tale for you with this one. Let me start with Betty's. I'd heard from Brother Ares' guitarist Blake that this place had a history of being a place where all sorts of weird groups would perform, even a few noise artists. I had this confirmed by a cool guy in my English class that I talked to about Merzbow; he said that Betty's attracted all kinds of different acts. I was rather disappointed then, when I walked in only to find it was just a crappy little beer bar with just a spot on the floor next to a pool table for bands to play in. It reminded me of a slightly larger Dino's, another shabby beer bar in Nashville where I saw Windhand play. To add insult to injury, the place was out of Yuengling Black & Tan! Most disappointing were the people, but more on that later.

First up was Across Tundras' frontman and mastermind T.G. Olson. Mr. Olson had an interesting setup going on, with an electric guitar lying horizontally on a guitar case with a metal slide laying on the frets while he played an amplified acoustic guitar. He played in an interesting, earnest, and involving style, with a lot of droning on the lower strings on the acoustic while he played what I am going to describe as flow and mellow yet ponderous campfire songs, songs you'd hear out on the prairie after being out on the trail for months. Really engaging stuff. I loved the supplementary noise created by the horizontal guitar.

However, the highlight of the night absolutely had to be when Tanner got into a random encounter with a wild drunk woman. She really wasn't as mild as she was rather drunk (a feat at a beer bar), not very attractive, and tipsily dancing to drone. The best part though was that with each dance moves, her jeans would slip down every so slightly. So at one point, this woman is getting down and comes right up in front of Tanner, and when she turns around he can't hold it together. To his credit he kept the song going, but his (and everyone else watching's) failure to stifle laughter was just enough to throw him off just for one hilarious moment. He finished his set out, and promptly said "man, I was look at four inches of buttcrack." Absolutely made the whole night worth it. Sadly I was not quick enough on the draw to capture photographic evidence, and I thought the startle and scare off the creature, so you'll have to take my word for it. But believe you me, it was probably one of the funniest thing I've seen at one of these shows. For more music and less buttcrack, have a stream:

Next up was Joey from Hellbender's solo project Poor Faulkner. Joey's guitarwork in Hellbender is pretty great. Grooving, driving, dynamic, technically skilled and even thoughtful. His solo style, while a little less groove-oriented, is still fantastic. He played both 6 and 12 string guitars with a dexterity and mastery that was a pleasure to watch. He strummed each guitar almost like a banjo at time, complete with a pick on nearly every finger. Sonically it was ebullient, flowing, and quite hypnotic, with just a hint of twang. I was fully drawn in, my trance only being broken by the inattentive bargoers who didn't seem to care in the slightest. Another black mark for Betty's. As soon as any of his music gets put online, you can bet that I'm going to post it here. EDIT: Here it is!

Blake, hamming it up

Last up was a duo that I have almost spent too much time talking about, Brother Ares. I'm proud to say that I have completed these guys' ritual and finally heard the last song from their upcoming album The Aviary that I hadn't heard yet, the mighty title track itself. Holy shit guys, from what I've seen, this album is going to kick ass. The band members described this track as a rather loose jam before the show, but they pulled it off spectacularly. They ripped through the rest of their (relatively short) setlist and had a damn good show all around. Really full of vigor and dare I say it, zazz. They knew the crowd didn't give a fuck, so they countered by giving no fucks of their own and played how they wanted to play. And it ruled. They ended up clearing the bar of the regulars, but who gives a shit, They didn't pay any cover. Fuck 'em. If they didn't like it, their loss, to each his own, etc. Look for their upcoming split with Knoxville weird doomers Billy Castro, their aforementioned full-length LP The Aviary, and possibly even a split with T.G. Olson/Across Tundras.

Hellbender was slated to play last, but some of the members weren't feeling up to it, so they said "fuck it." In most cases I would be frowning my hardest, but in these circumstances I can't blame them. If you had to not play a show, I'd say this was the one to cancel on. I'd just seen them play with Rwake at the Exit/In (complete with random synth-effect player who may or may not have been tripping his balls off), and it's not like I'm not going to see them again in the near future. Look for a new full-length album to come out in the near future(!!!), and stream some of their krautrockier stuff right here to tide you over until then.


Look for my review of In Fidelity, Pissbath, Choking on Ash, Good Luck Varsity, Pray for Teeth, Cerce, and Out of Time's show at the Owl Farm as soon as I get some time away from studying crap like this:

Tijuana Goat Ride, Brother Ares, Dawn, and Black Table (NY/NJ) at the Hymen House

Ah yes folks, it's time for another show review! This show took place at the thoughtfully-named Hymen House, which is named for the street upon which it sits: Heiman street. Longtime NashVile readers will recall that this is the very same household in which I interviewed band members from a plethora of different bands, including Brother Ares and Dawn. Coming back again was a delight. In the few times that I've been there, the Hymen house has been full of fun and interesting people. It's cozy, and the walls are covered in fliers from shows past. There's also a wall featuring a shrine to a complete stranger, including pictures and some of her graded papers. But enough about the venue, let's get to the bands.

First up are local bangers Tijuana Goat Ride. This band contains members of former Nashville gut-rumblers Seawitch, whom you should definitely check out. But do that later. Read about TGR now, because they kick ass. Sonically, they're thick and heavy and loud and just everything nice. They have kind of a stoner sludge sound, but they're not satisfied to stay at a crawling pace all the time like most stoner-y, sludgy bands. These guys mix in angular if not downright technical runs in with meaty riffs, all while effusive drummer Chris Fox hammers away. These guys have a fantastic mix of galloping fast and thundering slow parts, all while keeping a head-nodding groove. And have I mentioned Niki Carolan's vocals yet? This girl can scream! It's somewhere between a hardcore scream and a black metal shriek, but regardless, it's effective. Bassist Christopher Frey throws some cleaner vocals into the mix, strengthening the stoner metal aspect of the music. Check out some show footage here:



Next up was Brother Ares. Sheesh, for the amount of press I give these guys you'd think I'd be at least band girlfriend by now. But really, these guys end up playing with a lot of cool dudes, and guitarist/vocalist Blake Conley always invites me to the shows, so how can I refuse? Anyway, on this night, they were as good as ever. It felt like a shorter setlist, until I remembered how long a single song is. Blake's octaver pedal and his three different distortion pedals give a really full, powerful tone to his guitar (especially the TurboRAT pedal) that you wouldn't always expect from a two-piece group. I also don't mention drummer Nick Gore's vocals enough: they're quite powerful, and really what blew me away the first time I saw them. When he's at full power, it's a quite impressive thing to behold. Watch all 32 minutes of their set here, including their fucked-up-in-a-good-way cover of Black Flag's "My War":



Band number 3 of the night was Black Table from the border of New York and New Jersey. I scratched my head at the name too until I saw these guys perform. Holy shit, they are awesome, and a delight to hang out with, to boot! I had a wonderful conversation with vocalist and guitarist Mers (pronounced like "nurse") Sumida about human evolutionary divergence, quantum physics, favorite pyschedelic experiences, and Hawaiian ladyboys. Quite a treat. As far as their music goes, Black Table is a smorgasboard of heaviness. They take cues from post-metal ("ambient sludge" for genre purists) and black metal, as well as sludge metal and hardcore. They even throw in a death metal-style chug or two. Guitar duty is split between Mers and Ryan Fleming; one usually shreds while the other plays in a more legato style. Drummer Mike Kadnar is a beast, and has the handlebar 'stache to prove it. I didn't get a chance to talk much to bassist Matt Mellon, but this doesn't diminish his playing one bit: this guy is fantastic, and his 6-string bass adds a really interesting, almost Intronaut-esque quality to the sound. The overall sound itself is surprisingly deep and intricate. These guys keep you interested throughout, adding nuances here and there and switching things up before you can even think of getting bored. Some parts reminded me of Isis, others, the indomitable Deathspell omega. I kept wondering what profoundly awesome shit they would play next, and they never failed to deliver. Check out concert footage below.


In addition, without a doubt one of the coolest things these guys have is their "Deepwell" package. It's a CD that contains a 22-minute ambient track, but with what's essentially a séance kit included. I'm not going to say all what's inside, but it's definitely worth tracking down and getting your own copy. I tried the ritual myself and found it to be pretty wild. To tide you over until you find your own copy, check out their brand-spanking new EP "Sentinel." It's absolutely, positively worth the price of $Name-your-price, only so cheap for a limited time. Stream it right here:


Last up was Nashville hardcore staple Dawn. This group features Ivan Doerschuk and Jordan House of Sky Burial and Alraune (among others) on drums and bass, respectively, and Jesse Mowery of Altar of Complaints and Nut Collector (among others). They kicked ass when I saw them at the Owl Farm, and they kicked just as much ass on this night too. Combining elements of hardcore, mathcore, sludge, powerviolence, d-beat, grindcore, and maybe even a whiff of black metal, this trio rains down an onslaught of intense music. The screams are strong and visceral, but also somewhat enticing. The drums were really punchy and tight. The use of feedback fits the style perfectly. Overall, these guys have a really restless style, with a sense of urgency felt throughout. This music gets your blood pumping. Since Jesse Mowery was manning the video camera during the show (credit goes to him for all the videos posted here), I don't have any footage from their set (sorry), so here's a stream from their last release.

Black Tar Prophet, Crawl (GA), Brother Ares, Sovereign at Springwater 12/8/12

Alright, now that this semester's ass has been properly kicked (3.7 GPA for the term, bitches!), it's time to get back into the swing of things and actually post some updates.

First, a quick recap/apology. After venturing out to the Owl Farm on a Thursday and then going to Bobbaroo on the Saturday afterwards, I went to see Brother Ares, Clorange, Bell Witch, and Loss at The End the Monday after. I'm sorry I didn't get a full writeup done, but after seeing 14 bands/3 shows in 5 days, my brain was worn out. I told it to come up with something clever and interesting to write, and it came back with "meh." So here's a quick recap:
-Brother Ares ruled. More on these guys later.
-Clorange have a new lineup! Drummer Colin is now in an instrumental prog group Montezuma Fire Machine, whom you should definitely check out. I'm not sure what happened with the other guitarist or bassist, but things seem amicable between former and current band members from what I can tell. New bassist Brian Jones fits the bill nicely, and drummer Derek Martin (formerly of Whitechapel, interestingly enough) rounds out the sound. Stream their brand new album Instinct here, and be sure to pick up hard copy at a show. The artwork looks rad.
-Bell Witch are a pair of bros with the most ridiculous dreadlocks I have ever seen. The bassist's are ankle-length. The duo play some incredibly heavy doom metal, with the drummer growling into the mic while the bassist fingered his 6-string bass. Check out their brand new record here.
-Loss are local heavyweight death doomers. These guys are starting to blow up huge; they're even playing Maryland Deathfest next year. I know bassist Jon Anderson better as "Ichabod" from his days as a local DJ on his late-night metal radio show "Out Ov the Coffin." Guy has good taste, and though I'm not 100% sold on funeral doom, they killed it. Stream their stuff here.

Finally! Glad I got that off my chest. Now on to the reviews of the current show. First off, let me say for how shitty it is, Springwater can actually be kind of cozy. It's a bit smaller than a lot of venues, but I actually happen to like that about it, especially for doom: with a smaller area, you get more of a "crushing" effect from the low end. This is especially important for the first act of the night, Black Tar Prophet. These guys have had a bit of a shakeup as well. Erik from doomigos Archrduid was recruited to play drums in September, and guitarist Mark left the band midway through October, though he has recently posted online that he will be coming back in 2013. This left Greg on a (3-string) bass (complete with new pickups made by Alex from Clorange), Erik on drums, and an impressive speaker setup.

These guys are becoming a staple of Nashville doom. Despite musical chairs on who plays what, they've somehow managed to retain the same simple but effective grooving and crushing recipe for no frills, no bullshit doom metal. The rumble from the pair of shoulder-high was definitely palpable; I felt it in in my skin as much as my ears. They played slow and loose, sounding like Electric Wizard, Sleep, Om, and even High on Fire stripped down to the the most basic level. Elemental doom metal: doom in its quintessence. Doom straight, no chaser. Skeletal doom. If you're sick of reading these crappy descriptions, listen for yourself right here!


Crawl are newcomers from Atlanta, GA. And when I say "new" I mean they've been in other bands, but they just played their first show at the end of November. You wouldn't know it from their playing though, as these guys kick ass.

Bassist Tyler Akers made it hard to get a clear picture

HOLD STILL DAMMIT

Sonically, they hit you like a vat of warm gravy. Their sound oozes over you and you love every goopy minute of it. Eric Crowe's guitar sounds like chewing gravel, and Tyler's bass playing is the asphalt chaser, all while keeping the molasses-choked groove alive. Interesting story about the bass position, they were having trouble finding a someone to fill the spot. After not having much luck, they asked me, but I gratefully declined since I'm still working on my undergraduate degree and not ready to move to Atlanta. I'm not sure how many bass players they went through, I heard they at one point had an ex-member of Malevolent Creation (!!), they settled on Tyler Akers. What a good choice! This guy can not only play, but his bobbing and weaving and nearly hitting me in the face with his headstock adds a lot of stage presence to the band. Eric's main vocal style is similar to Mastodon's or Black Tusk's, and really fits the style. There were times that he went for a higher pitched scream that I thought sounded a bit pinched and maybe a little forced at first, but didn't bother me overly much. Their overall sound was fantastic, but I especially liked the two closer tunes "Pilldust" and "Nigredo." Pray to your doom gods that they record and release these, because they were fucking epic. These southern sludgeateers have a bright future ahead of them, especially the near future: their split with Black Tar Prophet is available for pre-order! In the meantime, stream their demo right here.

Third up was my friends Brother Ares. What can I say about these guys that I haven't said already? They rule. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Prior to the show, a bouncer for the bar named Stefan (Stephan? Sorry for any misspellings!) was telling me about how much of a tone expert Blake is, and how these guys really aren't like anybody else in the area. I couldn't agree more. Whether its grunge, sludge, doom metal, or even noise, this two-piece (who are staunch on their two-piece-hood, so don't even try to join) do it like nobody else. If you're looking for doom with intrigue, atonal/feedacking solos, and lots of bird metaphors, then you'll love Brother Ares.

Check out their last release below, and look for an upcoming full-length release "The Aviary" as well as a split with Knoxvillers Billy Castro!


Last up was Sovereign from Murfreesboro. I met some old partiers from Kentucky when I went to see Hail!Hornet back in the spring, and one of the guys I met was Jimmy from the Kentucky Sovereign. Just to be clear, this Sovereign is not that Sovereign. That Sovereign covers Five Finger Death Punch. This Sovereign kicks ass.

Sovereign: brought to you by smoking!

End of set drum upending shenanigans!

Blake from Brother Ares nudged me during their set and said that these guys sounded like Kyuss worship at its finest. That definitely rings true, but these guys have a bit more of a sludge and even hardcore edge than Kyuss. This comes as no surprise, seeing as most if not all of the members live in one of the craziest houses in Murfreesboro, Avalon. In my only venture to the 'Boro, I went to Avalon at a friend's behest. I had no idea what I was getting into. That house show looked like something out of a music video. The place was packed, and everyone was getting their drink and their smoke on. The bands themselves were nuts, with names like Bottletosser, Actual Nuns, and Haldol. In the middle of one of Haldol song, all of a sudden the mosh pit just fucking swarmed this big muscular guy, and got him to leave the house. Someone was talking to him, I'm not sure what they said but the whole time the big guy's eyes were bugged out huge. The police eventually came by and just said to the guy that if all the people at the party wanted him to leave, that he'd better leave. It turns out that the guy had called singer and guitarist Renan Tormin from this band the N-word, which is silly considering isn't even black, he's South American. Anyway, sorry for the digression, I've just been looking for a reason to post that story for months.

In any case, these guys are rad. They draw inspiration from sonic titans such as Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin, and Weedeater, but it felt like they added a touch of skater punk into the mix to give the sound its own flavor. The vocals were mostly shouted and screams, but a few cleaner-voiced parts added some tasty variety to the mix. A lot of it was a bit more uptempo than I usually expect when this much fuzz is coming from the cabs, but these guys do it well, with madman Austin Kimpel banging away on drums, mostly while being egged on by bassist Josh Scott. Overall, really great stoner metal with hardcore influences. Would see again, in a heartbeat.
Check out their album released in August.

At last, blog post complete! Look for a "Best-of" list from some esteemed members of the local metal community coming in the next few weeks!

Brother Ares' "Devourer of Worlds" debut EP review

I've been meaning to review this album for at least a month. Apologies to everyone involved, I've had a great many things on my plate this last month, from attending weddings to battling bouts of depression and bad sunburns. Without further ado, let's get to the EP!

The album opens with pounding percussion and feedbacking guitar. Another guitar comes in, and both begin to play around in antithesis of any parallel ideas. The guitars battle over top of the continuing plodding drums. The guitars meander and mosey, but never really reach a focal point. It's an interesting effect, but one that leaves me wondering what the point is.

The drums transition nicely into the next song, "Hands like Salt". The guitar comes in softly, hintingly, and then gives you the overdrive that it makes you want. Excellent grooving riff at this point. Delightfully distilled doom. Then- hark! Are those screams I hear? The vocals come in nicely, albeit buried beneath the burly guitar tone. Then, back to the groove, and the drums become more elaborate. Man, that tone is great. More buried vocals! What I can hear is great, but dammit I wish I could hear them better. Everything falls away except for the guitar. Then Bam! Even more guitar crunch is added, and the drums explode back into the sound as well. Ooh! A tasty litle, almost acoustic-sounding guitar break, and then right back into the fury. Brazen drums, thundrous guitars, and screams. Love it. That riff. That fucking riff. As repetitive as it is, I don't think I could ever get tired of it. And now a delayed guitar foray? Dig it, though it does feel a tad overlong, until it echoes out. Very nicely done.

Song three, "Brother Ares" starts with a hi-hat, a little feedback, and then down comes the riffs. Heavy stuff. Then suddenly, the guitar is muted, and the drummer begins to scream! Almost a whisper at first, it grows until a full shout until the riffs return. These vocals are somewhat buried too. These guys must really worship the Riff; they surely don't let their vocals get in the way of it. Crush crush crush, and then everything stops. Wait, is this the next song? Nope, my mistake. The break here is enough to make you think otherwise, and the change in tone only adds to that notion. After the small silence, the guitars come in very softly and understated, almost deceptively, for after a few bars, down comes a slice of some quite crushing doom. And then back to the same riff as before, almost triumphantly, as though Brother Ares has laid his foe to waste, and his dirging battle march continues on. Delightfully droning outro here. Feedback is had, and drums are beat seemingly at random.

And then, it goes right into "Already Dead" without even a blink. The riffs here feel the most menacing out of any song, and the vocals too. Now everyone is screaming! This song is a powerhouse. And way too short! They definitely leave you hanging.

Overall, pretty damn good album. Great doom, good vocals, and great fucking riffs. My only complaint is that the first song feels too meandersome and unfocused. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend it if you're a fan of doom metal.
8.5 out of 10

Footnote: After comparing the version on their bandcamp, it appears the vocals aren't as buried as I thought. Either the CD sounds different, or my new headphones are to blame. You should buy the CD and then listen to their bandcamp below to see for yourself.

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!

Billy Castro, Black Tar Prophet, and Brother Ares at Cafe Coco

Another show, another review. This time, instead of going back to Cafe Coco after a killer show at the End or Exit/In, the show was right there at the Cafe! Convenient. I can't remember the last time I had dinner and a show. I had a mushroom bacon burger and vanilla stout, and split a Godiva cheesecake with none other than the lovely and talented Ms. McKenzie Royster between acts. Delicious, but expensive. I'd give them an 8/10.

Anyway, first up was Billy Castro.
First impressions are important, and aside from noting how nice and chill these guys were, I noticed that Bryan Baker's guitar's had "Love", "Evol", and "I fucked your boyfriend" stickered onto them. That alone should make you curious enough to come out and see these guys next time they play anywhere near you. Beyond intriguing guitar stickerage, these guys were weird in the most awesome way. Vocals were all over the place! Both Becca Baker and Bryan Baker (Married? Family? I guess both is possible in Tennessee...;) spoke and screamed, but never together at the same time. If Bryan was speaking or screaming, then Becca was singing. If Becca was speaking, then Bryan was probably noodling or riffing on guitar. The vocals were sometimes arrhythmic, and the combinations were fantastic. I feel like with these guys, there are just these little parts where I just want to say "oh yeah, and then they did this! Oh, and then they did that! Shit was nuts!" Drummer Patrick Gallagher was nuts, Josh Cochran's basslines were groovy, and they even brought out a conga drum and Becca and Josh each drummed on it for a little while. And Becca even busted out the maracas!

The guitar was crunchy and distorted. I'm no guitar expert, but I want to say that some of Mr. Baker's chosen chords and riffs were unorthodox at the very least. They sounded weird, but in an absolutely cool way. The bass was funky and clean; I especially enjoyed the top string goodness of the last song of the set. The drums were plethoric. That Patrick Gallagher is a beast, moving his arms all kinds of crazy ways.  And the vocals... man. I can't say enough about how the vocals worked and meshed together. They were a little reminiscent of local legend Jesse Mowery's new band Nut Collector (though I admittedly have not heard enough of them by far).

Like I mentioned above, the last song (called "We Will Not Run Out of Bricks", from their upcoming release "Make Love Like War") started out with a spotlight on the top bass string, and built and built from there, finally ending in a closed-fist-pounding on guitar freakout. It was awesome, but I almost wish someone would have just screamed, or maybe all of them screamed in unison. Such an epic build-up deserved as big of an apex as possible! With amps echoing and lights dimming, these guys left me wanting more.

These guys are heavy, loud, distorted, and definitely metal. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.
8.5/10

Oh, and a word of advice. Make sure you add "knoxville" and/or "band" if you decide to google these guys. These crafty motherfuckers, I found while writing this in my very christian school's library, seemed to have named themselves after a FtM transexual pornstar. 

Streaming things!


Next up was Black Tar Prophet..
Mis Amigos! These guys are fun as hell. Though it wasn't quite as destructive as the last time I saw them, it was still a good show. They toned it down a little and only brought a pair of speakers this time though, and I definitely missed the effect that their fully constructed speaker wall brings. Thankfully, their groovy, heavy, hypnotic, cannabis-inspired riff worship was as powerful as ever. Despite a few mishaps and a knocked over stand or two, these guys were great, and so relaxed! Mark sat down at one point, and even laid down on stage til close to the end. Their subterranean level of fucks given translates almost perfectly through their music, and if you can move to the groove and get into it, you'll find that all of your troubles and worries will slowly start to slide further into your periphery, and that nothing really matters. I heard talk afterwards that they'd essentially played their set backwards, much to their vexation. I personally enjoyed it. It was like seeing a whole new setlist, almost. And if Led Zeppelin and others hide Satanic lyrics recorded backwards, what happens when BTP plays their shit backwards? Do they summon Jesus?

In any case, it was a fantastic, loose, and relaxed performance, complete with Sleep and Eyehategod moments throughout.
8.3/10

Album release party June23!

Headlining this one-show tour was the always amazing Brother Ares.

I need to stop smoking, if only to stop coming in late for shows. I walked in after a puff to find Blake and Gore jamming out a new tune called "Vestiges of the Crow King". I hadn't missed very much, and thank Lucifer: this song was fantastic! Blake is... singing? I think I'd probably put it closer to "shouting with a bit of melody" than real "singing". Awesome, delayed echoey-guitar midsection. After this, they played fan favorites such as "DoomEagle of the Apocalypse", "Already Dead", and one or two others. They closed with another one, called "Serpent's Twin: [something something]". I wish I'd taken more notes about it! My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I think it was pretty fantastic. Hard to find an Ares Bros track that I don't thoroughly enjoy though. I'll definitely have to hear this one again in order to make any real judgment about it. Overall, a fantastic show, but definitely too short! Those dang Cafe Coco neo-con hatemongering hardasses must have said to cut it short. These guys deserved an encore.
8.6/10

Look for their upcoming EP "Devourer of Worlds" to be reviewed here as soon as it's released!

Black Tar Prophet, Bleeding Heart Blues, Clorange, and Ponykiller at The End

It was a dark and stormy night. I left early from a Passover feast, and was headed to this show at The End. As I was driving in the middle of the highway, a huge gust of wind attacked my car, and blew the hood up over my windshield! I couldn't see a thing! Somehow I was able to flick on the emergency lights, roll down my window and see if any cars were coming behind me, and pull of to the side of the road. I fished out a tiny tire iron from beneath my car's seats, whacked the hood latch until it came unstuck, and secured the hood until I was sure it wouldn't blow up again. Having successfully cheated death, I then proceeded to make it the rest of the way to the show without any further incident. And what a show it turned out to be!

First up was Black Tar Prophet.
Greg, the drummer was one of the few people that showed up to the Nashville HQ/Harpeth Garage show, so I was happy to return the favor by seeing him play. After hanging out and discussing the merits of Bongripper's different releases, the show began, and Black Tar Prophet went on stage. The guitar setup was a gorgeous freakish wall of assorted amp heads and cabs, including Kustom to Sunn cabs and heads. Their show was just one long song entitled "Note to Nod". An interesting beast, the sprawling song contained bits of drone, sludge, and doom metal. Fluid, groovy, loud, and plenty heavy. These guys rocked.

So great was their worship of the Riff that Mark sacrificed his guitar upon its altar.

The highlight of the show, at least for me, came at the very end of performance. Guitarist Mark, after a furiously twisting and turning the lowest string's tuning knob, began pressing his guitar against the tall Sunn cabinet. Suddenly, he began violently swinging his guitar violently and smashing it into the wall of speakers. Smash! Crunch! Crack! Pieces of it go flying. Mark knocks over the speakers, pulls out a cigarette, and walks off stage. Epic.
8.8/10

Video footage of the show!

Video courtesy of VintageQueen54 Videos!

Bandcamp shenanigans!


Next up was Bleeding Heart Blues.



These guys were interesting, but not in a "damn, this is really interesting" way, more of a "thats uh, hm, interesting" way. Reminiscent of Heart, but with quasi-Kyuss riffs. The girl singer caterwauled a bit. She had her moments, but overall I was not a huge fan. They could be pretty fun at some points, but they didn't ever really blow me away.
7.1/10






Third was Clorange.



This was my second time seeing Clorange. The first time, I was a little unsure of Carrie's smooth, soulful vocals' interplay with the doom metal guitar backing, but I think this time it really clicked for me. They play in a Traditional Doom metal style, but with more complicated riffs than I normally associate with traditional doom. I guess you could call them psychedelic female-fronted traditional doom metal? That's a mouthful. It's easier just to say that these guys are beautifully heavy. Carrie's vocals, as I mentioned above, were soaring and soothing, soulful and sincere. The riffs were heavy and the hooks were catchy. Just as good as the first time. Highly recommended.
8.6/10









Stream stream stream...




The last band of the night was Ponykiller.

Meeting cool people and even band members is one of my favorite parts about the little Nashville scene. Before any bands went on, I met some of the folks milling around, one of which was dead set on convincing me that Ponykiller wasn't metal. Singer/guitarist Collin Yeo, who I was lucky enough to meet before the show, confirmed this. I was immediately skeptical. Equine skulls adorn their shirts and album covers. They're on Phil Anselmo's label. Their name is Ponykiller for christ's sake. But lo and behold, when they took the stage and started to play, I was transformed into a believer.

I have in my notes "WTF". That seems to about cover it. This trio of NOLA guys are stylistically all over the place. The 5-string bass is fretless, the guitars go from crunchy to swirling to dreamy, and the vocals range from a few well-placed screams to emotional, even heartfelt clean singing. Singing! And this guy plays bass in Arson Anthem alongside Phil Anselmo, Mike Williams, and Hank Williams III! This man knows his music, and it comes through in his playing. Soft, loud, aggressive, tender, or a mix of all 4. If I had to label their style, I would call it "Post-post-metal". But thankfully I have to do no such thing, so I will not. If the dudes from Intronaut got together, decided to sing as seriously as While Heaven Wept, covered a few Spacemen 3 tunes, and then said "fuck all that, let's play whatever we want", it might sound vaguely similar to Ponykiller. But just barely: these guys defy explanation. All I can really say is to see them for yourself.
8.9/10

These guys really have to be seen live in order to get the full experience. Until you can, here's their bandcamp to tide you over!

Nashvile Presents: BrotherAres Assnuke Droneroom EnemyAnemoneEnema: Now with Slideshows!

EDIT: Fuck the slideshows.

If you didn't watch the live feed I set up on here, you seriously missed out. This show was a blast. I played bass in Enemy Anemone Enema, and was seriously honored to open for these guys. Assnuke and Brother Ares I've already reviewed elsewhere, and Droneroom was absolutely hypnotic. Blake knows how to make a guitar really speak.

Photo Album! Lots more pictures there, I guess some of them didn't like being linked.