BlackLab - Warm Death

 #BlackLab #doom metal #stoner metal #post-metal #shoegaze #sludge #psychedelic metal #witch metal #Japanese #music video

When you hear the phrase ‘dark witch doom’, it’s hard to shake off thoughts of Hammer Horror clichés and the kind of retro-flared, post-hippy rock that took Coven as a starting point and never really bothered to take it anywhere else - thankfully, BlackLab take that label and drag it right into the Stygian mire where it belongs. Originally formed in Osaka as a three-piece, they soon settled on the line-up of Yuko Morino and Chia Shiraishi as the ideal vessel to transport their sound, a colossally loud mix of Sabbathian doom, sludge and noisy punk-tinged insanity. Following on from the success of Under The Strawberry Moon 2.0, a re-recording of early demo tracks made for London’s New Heavy Sounds, they have quickly set about delivering the aptly-titled Abyss in time for a UK tour that, as with so much lately, will have to wait. Still, we have Abyss to vibe to in the meantime so The Sleeping Shaman decided to catch up with the devilish duo, find out where they’re coming from and where they’re yet to take us.

You’re often described as ‘Dark Witch Doom’ - how accurate do you feel that is? Does witchcraft or mysticism play any part in your sound?

Yuko: The person in charge of the shop that handled our self-produced CD used the expression. I liked that so much and then I describe myself so. I think it’s a phrase that expresses the character of the songs and sounds I make well. I like horror movies and mysteries stories, so they may have influenced my creations. When I write songs, I often get inspiration from those visuals. But those stories are not important - it’s just from visual stuff. Foreign media sometimes metamorphose us as Sadako. I welcome that, because she’s a superstar in Japanese horror movies. I believe in mysterious world. But unfortunately, I have no magic or mystery experience. I enjoy them daydreaming.

Chia: The term ‘Dark Witch Doom’ might convey the atmosphere of BlackLab’s sound. I like it. I’m not a witch, but I live on a spiritual basis. I might be a ‘star seed drummer’.

From: https://www.thesleepingshaman.com/interviews/blacklab-interview-with-yuko-chia/

The Babe Rainbow - Secret Enchanted Broccoli Forest

 #The Babe Rainbow #psychedelic rock #neo-psychedelia #psychedelic pop #alternative rock #indie rock #retro-1960s #stoner pop #Australian

Australian neo-psych outfit the Babe Rainbow first introduced themselves in 2015 with a sprinkling of cheery nuggets like "Ashmay & Dr. Love Wisdom" and "Secret Enchanted Broccoli Forest." The trio's affable take on cosmic Donovan-inspired flower pop won them a contract with Danger Mouse's 30th Century Records imprint, which offers up this eponymous full-length debut. Natives of the coastal surfing town of Byron Bay, New South Wales, the Babe Rainbow comprise singer/drummer Angus Dowling, guitarist Jack "Cool-Breeze" Crowther, and bassist Lu-Lu-Felix Domingo, who collectively espouse the sunny peaceful vibes of late-'60s California in their music and imagery while folding in elements of modern psych and electronic experimentation. Recorded in their hometown by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard frontman Stu Mackenzie, the LP is a generally lighthearted affair, though the Babes are no slouches in terms of craftsmanship. Layered throughout with spry riffs, jazzy instrumentation, and attractive grooves, the record comes across as more of a vibe generator than a dazzling display of songwriting. While standouts like "Losing Something" and "Survival in the 21st Century" offer more thoughtful pop missives, the bulk of the album is concerned with fun grooves and textures.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-babe-rainbow-mw0003062347

Black Moth - Moonbow

 #Black Moth #Harriet Hyde #stoner rock #heavy metal #hard rock #grunge #alternative rock #indie rock #music video

Posed by one scribe as 'an onslaught of monumental riff sorcery and serpentine grace' Black Moth rose from the Leeds underground scene at the end of 2010, indulging their love for both Sabbath sulphur and Stooges squalor. Equal parts horror movie atmosphere, thunderous drive and maverick spark, with Harriet Bevan's biting and beguiling voice leading the charge.  From: https://blackmothband.bandcamp.com/

This weekend, Leeds-via-London stoner metallers Black Moth will play their final shows. After breaking onto the scene in 2012 with debut full-length The Killing Jar, they harnessed the power of the occult and the morose with a healthy dose of Black Sabbath, Nick Cave and Uncle Acid to become one of the brightest lights in the British stoner/doom scene. However, such is life, circumstances didn't work in their favour. Their final album, Anatomical Venus, was recorded a year before it was eventually released, which ultimately slowed the band's momentum – leaving over three years between records.
"The album was done but we weren’t out there promoting it," vocalist Harriet Hyde tells Kerrang! from the comfort of a north London pub. "Although we did some really nice things off the back of it. We toured with L7, played with Sleep, which for us were ultimates. Hearing Donita (Sparks, L7 vocalist) say to the crowd that I was their frozen embryo child (laughs)… It genuinely made me cry.” Couple the delay with the fact that Black Moth's lineup are split across England – two members living in London, and three living in Leeds – made touring and rehearsal a trying ordeal.
"I quit so many jobs because we’d been offered a tour, and you can only do that for so long. What’s sad is you’ve got five people who have this incredible chemistry for making music together, but it all ends up being frustrating because you can’t scrape two hours together on a Friday night." Logistically, it became impossible to carry on. Harriet herself was burning out, using every available holiday she had to go on tour, she never found time to actually rest. "There was a heartbreaking moment where we were playing Vienna on tour and I was desperate to go see Vienna. Did I see it? Did I fuck!" she laughs. "I saw the back of a van then a venue, then we left." Ultimately, Harriet wrote the band an email, calling time on Black Moth. Admitting it was a hard pill to swallow initially, the rest of the band agreed that the band should leave it at the three albums they're proud of, instead of "pissing it away and falling out."
From: https://www.kerrang.com/a-farewell-to-the-perverted-darkness-of-black-moth

Chron Goblin - Deserter

#Chron Goblin #stoner rock #heavy metal #psychedelic rock #blues rock #stoner metal

From the dusty coulees of Alberta’s Badlands to the jagged peaks of the snow-capped Rockies, the musical entity known as Chron Goblin is a true force of nature. Yet there’s simply no reckoning the immensity of the sound that these hard rockin’ Calgarians are capable of generating once they hit the stage boards. Grinding it out in the trenches and pits of venues and festivals across North America and Europe since 2009, the fuzz clad foursome knows no bounds when it comes to laying down the rugged riffage and cranking up the volume on a sweet Southern rock tinged blues-metal breakdown. Surrender to the smoke show, heed the call of the Chron and inhale the melodious commotion churned up by the Goblins. The botanically infused gin in your work-a-day tonic, Chron Goblin will obliterate those vexing worries and liberate your immortal soul.  From: http://www.chrongoblin.com/bio

Vodun - Mawu

 #Vodun #heavy metal #hard rock #psychedelic metal #stoner metal #ritualistic doom metal #occult rock #traditional West African music #afrobeat #music video

Amidst the rushing screams of Mother Earth; the pounding drums of Ouidah; the markets of Lomé and the open heart of Erzulie, there exists Vodun. Born of only three comes the embodiment of crushing noise intertwined with enrapturing harmonies... heavy, weird, soulful... yes, we are expectant of the abnormal and so should you be.  From: https://vodun.bandcamp.com/

From Kiss’s hard rock kabuki to Slipknot’s masks, metal has always loved a gimmick. Factor in bands like Alestrom (pirates), Battlelore (Hobbits) and Gwar (hell knows) and it can often feel as if no schtick has been left unexplored. In 2016, the latest band to go high concept is Vôdûn. A UK-based trio who play lucid thrash spiked with tribal drums while daubed in warpaint, they’re primarily inspired by west African vodou.
“It’s about taking on the spirits we embody, that warrior element, and helping us to be truly in the moment,” explains frontwoman Chantal Brown, formerly of cowl-sporting arkestra Chrome Hoof and, before that, oddball nine-piece Do Me Bad Things. “It’s about entertainment value, too, but our interest in vodou runs deeper than that.”
Brown discovered the religion through fellow Hoof singer Lola Olafisoye. “She’s a spiritual practitioner, and she’d share all these books she had on west African history,” says Brown. It proved a powerful inspiration to a group wanting to write heavy music steeped in spirituality and feminism. “It had feminist undertones: a lot of the gods and priests were female,” Brown continues. “People have tried to demonize it for centuries. It was the culture of a people who have been oppressed, killed off and enslaved. There’s more to it than sticking pins in dolls.”
Vôdûn’s aesthetic could easily be seen as contrived but it undeniably sets Vôdûn apart from other heavy British bands. Musically, they cut through the current trend for floppy-fringed emo-metal in the vein of Bring Me The Horizon. By contrast, Vôdûn’s debut album, Possession, sounds like Slayer doing Black Box’s Ride On Time and their shows are more like acid raves than metal gigs. A similarly rave-y sense of abandon is key to their music, and Brown sees links with her own musical heritage: “I come from a gospel background; being possessed is like catching the holy ghost, or speaking in tongues.”  From: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/15/west-african-vodou-meets-hard-rock-in-metal-trio-vodun

Blood Ceremony - Goodbye Gemini

 #Blood Ceremony #hard rock #progressive rock #doom metal #psychedelic rock #occult rock #stoner rock #heavy psych #1970s retro #music video

Taking its name from an Italian horror film, Blood Ceremony is a Toronto-based band that was formed in 2006 by Sean Kennedy (guitar), Chris Landon (bass), Andrew Haust (drums) and Alia O'Brien (vocals, flute, occasional organ). In 2008, they released their eponymous debut. While the band never indulged in epic songwriting, cuts like 'Master of Confusion' and 'Hymn to Pan' comfortably pass the five minute mark. Musically, Blood Ceremony does sound like a mix between Paranoid-era Sabbath’s sluggy riffage, with a touch of Stand Up period Jethro Tull, mostly due to O'Brien’s flute. The result is something that borders on doom metal, but has enough backwards cast psychedelic atmosphere - not to mention O'Brien’s quasi-operatic vocals - to make it stand out from the rest of the pack. Highly recommended to anyone who likes that late 60s/early 70s gloom metal sound.  From: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4640

Canadian quartet Blood Ceremony’s style emulates 1970s prog rock and 1960s psychedelia while skillfully flirting with occult imagery and Hammer Horror-influenced lyrical themes; and it all started with the inclusion of a flute. “I guess the band really started when Alia [O’Brien, singer and flautist] came to practice with her flute,” muses guitarist and lyricist Sean Kennedy. “We started messing around with different riffs and we realized that it sounded really cool when she played along. We went from there and started writing songs that went in that kind of direction. That was really what developed our sound I guess – psychedelic riffs and flute.” Indeed, with her enchanting looks, powerful voice and Jethro Tull-style flute solos, Alia is a captivating and unique frontwoman. She and Kennedy started the band 10 years ago, which is completed by Lucas Gadke on bass and Michael Carrillo on drums. They’re just about to release album number four, entitled Lord Of Misrule, the follow-up to 2013’s The Eldritch Dark. It’s a bewitching blend of doom and psychedelia, that’s rooted not in the culture of their Canadian homeland, but in English soil. Not only are they signed to a British label, Rise Above Records, and recorded Lord Of Misrule with producer Liam Watson at Toe Rag Studios in London, but their close relationship with England is also reflected in the lyrical and musical themes of the album. “A lot of our influences for this album come from British folklore, and we recorded the album in London. It put that British stamp on it for us,” says Kennedy. “This is the first time we were able to record entirely to analogue tape. So if you buy the vinyl version of the album, it has never been digitalized from the tape, to the mastering, to the vinyl. It was such an exciting way to record the album.”  From: https://www.loudersound.com/features/horror-folk-and-witchcraft-introducing-blood-ceremony

Arabs in Aspic - Syndenes Magi

 #Arabs in Aspic #progressive rock #psychedelic rock #stoner rock #heavy prog #hard rock #retro prog #Norway

Arabs in Aspic is a heavy progressive rock band from Trondheim, Norway, with their musical roots planted firmly in the golden era of rock. Their sound is a sweet mixture of loud, heavy guitars and drums, 12 string acoustics, funky bass and percussion, screaming hammond organs, soft Rhodes, mellotrons and 70's synths, topped with a bucket of vocal harmonies.
Arabs in Aspic emerged in 1997 from Norway led by guitarist and vocalist Jostein Smeby and rythm guitarist & Theremin player, Tommy Ingebrigtsen. Since they met through their common love for 1970s heavy rock music, especially Black Sabbath, they've been playing together with different personnel, each playing different kinds of heavy music until Arabs in Aspic surged. They said goodbye to playing covers and the band was ready with Hammond organ player Magnar Krutvik, drummer Eskil Nyhus and his brother, bass player Terje Nyhus. The quartet was later joined by Stig Arve Jorgenson on backing vocals and Hammond organ, as Magnar changed to playing acoustic guitar and synth. After a few years and two releases (Progeria EP and Far Out in Aradabia CD) the band was put on hold due to various reasons. In 2006 Jostein, Eskil and Stig hooked up with bass player Erik Paulsen and formed what was known as Arabs in Aspic II. The new spirit and musicianship led to some serious songwriting, and numerous demos were recorded during the following years. In 2009 the band entered legendary TNT guitarist Ronni LeTekro's studio and recorded the critically aclaimed "Strange Frame of Mind", which was mastered by Tommy Hansen in Jailhouse Studios, Denmark. Before the vinyl release of "Strange Frame" in 2012 they decided to cut the "II" in the band name and go back to just Arabs in Aspic.  From: https://www.arabsinaspic.org/bio--info.html

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Acid Dent

 #Psychedelic Porn Crumpets #psychedelic rock #progressive rock #garage rock #alternative rock #hard rock #stoner rock #Australian #animated music video #claymation

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets is an Australian psychedelic rock band formed in 2014 in Perth. The band has been cited saying that some of the inspiration for their music comes in part from classic rock of the 1960s and 1970s, such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and the Beatles. However, they have been influenced by more than just the rock genre, getting inspiration also from experimental electronic jazz. Jack McEwan, the band's vocalist, has also mentioned that their style "is pretty much identical" to that of Pond and Tame Impala, bands that are often viewed to be in the same sphere. McEwan has also stated that he believes Australia, and his hometown of Perth specifically, to be a hotspot for rock music, and attributes the growth of the band partially to the live music scene in the city. Besides the Porn Crumpets, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Tame Impala, two of the band's influences, also hail from Australia. Some have given credit to King Gizzard and Tame Impala for creating the current Australian psychedelic rock scene. Many consider psychedelic rock to be Australia's main musical export in modern times, also citing bands such as Pond, Orb, Gum and more as evidence for this claim.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_Porn_Crumpets