According to their website LA four-piece Golden State incorporate, “the ambition of prime Muse, the crunch of classic US rock and the vibrancy of Queens Of The Stone Age” into the making of their music. Based entirely on listening to their 4-track EP release Subdivision I can confirm that there is the crunch of classic US rock and a Queens Of The Stone Age vibrancy. However, I can’t comment on how reflective it is of their music on a whole. Three of these four tracks are taken from their debut album Division that was only released in the USA and of which I haven’t heard in its entirety.

For UK fans of former American Bands Paloalto or The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, this is a really exciting project.  Consisting of former rock band Paloalto’s lead singer, James Grundler , Elias Reidy (former bass player of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus) equally as talented guitarist Marc Boggio, and drummer Kameron Waters  there are no subdivides in regards to their musical compatibility, or Golden State’s ability to make good music.

There is a slight predicament with this particular style of rock music though and it goes as follows. Bands tend to morph into one another, with a similar sound and whilst this EP is an enjoyable listen, I’ve found it hard to decipher an individual personality for each track outside of the genre. This however, is not meant as criticism, it’s a compliment (perhaps it may seem as a back handed one but a compliment none the less). What makes this style so popular is just that; the fact there is little variation; fans can’t get enough of the ‘nod-your-head-along-to’ sweeping melodies, anthemic choruses and intense brooding vocals familiar to such music. 

The EP opens with up-tempo ‘Rocket’ where Grundler’s throaty vocals croak “I’ll put a rocket in your mind” and Queens Of The Stone Age-esque guitar riffs reign dominant. ‘All Roads Lead Home’ is next up, a lovely little laid back, slowed down, powerful ballad about hope in finding your way back even when your world is thrown off kilter resembling slight echoes of U2. ‘Setting Sun’ has every aspect of a brilliant anthem rock song down to a tee and would be very popular with a mainstream audience. 

Then there’s the bonus track “Bombs”, the only track not on the aforementioned debut album. You might want to skip the first 30 seconds which dare I say it, are a bit irritating, there’s this repetitive reverby guitar thing and echoed “end this war” harmonies going on which I don’t really know what to make of but wouldn’t have been out of place from Bono or at a Live Aid Concert. Focus is soon stolen by power ballad, bomb dropping drum beats, and the lyrics being represented through the urgency of Grundler’s vocals. Overall, Subdivision is strong enough that Golden State should build a very solid and deserving UK fan base.

I am looking at a cover for Megachurch’s new album Megachurch2: Judgment Day. Because usually the artwork helps me getting a first impression. In this case I see a bright green fluorescent dragon. On top of this dragon sits a man. This dragonrider is wearing a suit and he seems to be wearing glasses. He is also holding an enormous bright golden sword. In the background I see a bright purple/pink erupting volcano of some kind. Is that a church I see at the foot of the volcano being threatened by the purple/pink lava? Wait, do I see a witch-like creature on the bottom right of the cover art? Intrigued by this spectacle of fluorescent colours I click on the artwork for Megachurch’s first album Megachurch and I see the same man, riding the same bright fluorescent green dragon, whilst holding the same bright golden sword. Hmm, I sense a theme here.

Megachurch are an instrumental metal band from Cleveland in the United States of America, something they make clear on several occasions throughout this album. Not by singing though, as they wouldn’t be labelled “instrumental”, but they use a lot of vocal samples reminding the listener that we’re dealing with an American band here. The samples all sound to be American preacher men. In fact, the band themselves uses the term “televangelist samples”. Now, they say you learn something new every day, and there you go, I can now add the term “televangelist” to my vocabulary.

Coming back to first impressions, Megachurch’s artwork doesn’t give me any good ones, but I am intrigued to say the least. So, I import the music on my mp3 player and I hit play. First track ‘Resurrection’ hits me with one of those televangelist samples combined with some heavy riffing on what sounds like a bass guitar. Wait, that should be bass guitars, as Megachurch plays with 2 bass players and 1 drummer.

One thing is for sure, while they don’t seem to take themselves very seriously, they sure know how to play and more importantly how to riff. It is brilliant stuff I’m hearing and it reminds me of a much heavier That Fucking Tank, especially the second track ‘Teabaggers’, which is full of heavy distorted double bass guitar riffing, interesting timings and the occasional splashes of melody.

The album is very well produced, and it continues on this heavy riffing theme and it doesn’t bore one single second. The televangelist samples add a lot of humour and fun to the mix, and I can only imagine how fun it would be to see them perform these tunes live. Various church themes are addressed, such as the gay agenda, exorcism, Republican battle hymns, the second coming and of course Judgment Day itself. I’m sure that even the Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger himself would be enjoying this album.

Whilst Megachurch2: Judgment Day has been released through the band’s own bandcamp site a while ago, it now has been released in Europe on CD and cassette tape through Stressed Sumo Records. I sincerely recommend you to listen to this album, despite the first impression the album artwork could give you.

Last Witness have been doing the rounds for a fair while, first popping up in 2006 amid the whole metalcore boom/fiasco (depends how you want to look back on it). I've caught a few live sets over the years from support slots to headlining, and they just seem to pack more and more of a punch each time. Highly recommend you catch a show if you can.

Right, here we've got a two song 7". Not being a mega fan and initially cringing at the metalcore revival-vibe going on in my head, I wasn't sure about this. But give it until the end of the song and you'll see why these guys are still soundly doing the circuit.

With the stereotypical chugging riffs of their earlier days, they combine a thick layer of the current hardcore trends into this perfect, semi-nostalgia inducing, 8 minutes of pure mosh. The vocals are solid, hard-hitting but clear and everything just works perfectly throughout. A real up in their technicality and ability as a band. Proving that you can put a really different spin on hardcore that others have missed or failed to do in the past. This is a game changer.

If you're anything like me and have neglected these guys for a while or entirely, I'd get your ears around this and keep your eyes peeled for any further news.

FFO: For The Fallen Dreams, Rotting Out, Breaking Point

7.5 Tonnes Of Beard feature And So I Watch You From Afar's (what is it with the long names?!) bassist Johnny Adger and also their sound-man Andy Coles on drums. While ASIWYFA have floored audiences on a global scale with their instrumental prowess, 7.5 Tonnes Of Beard want to floor you with a sledge-hammer.

Messrs Adger and Coles have enlisted the vocal duties of Mickey Higgins (Residual Effect), and guitarists Ian Booth and Blane Doherty (Gacys Threads) join them live to complete 7.5 Tonnes Of Beard's line up. Higgins in particular gives the granite heavy slabs of sludge a complimentary growled presence. Recorded by Coles at his own Beardnoise studios (theme developing here?), he's done a great job of making the EP very tight and punchy sounding despite the swamp dwelling music.

Things begin with 'Grit', which is a heartfelt ballad, featuring gentle acoustics and a Carpenters type feel. Of course its fucking not, its a vicious slab of fucking heaviness that will make your head explode. With lyrics about rats eating your eyes! Its a powerful kick in the nads that has been produced to inflict maximum damage. Necks will snap!

Johnny produces the type of bass riffage Burton himself would be proud to call his own with 'Shallow Man' featuring some excellent blending of fuzz and dirge. More great use of dynamics here ensure that as heavy as the music is there's plenty that grabs the attention. Across all the tracks there's plenty of locked-in groove ensuring it will lodge in your brain.

'Forced to Watch', unravels into a thunderous groove of MegaDoom. Deafening in delivery it features some excellent stop/start rhythm (think Sepultura Chaos A.D in slow motion!), Higgins speaking in tongues at one point his then roar of "Where Is Your God Now" will make you shit your pants. This is sludge in the vein of Conan/Bongripper etc and delivered with as much authority.

The ear splitting interlude 'Appalled Beyond Comprehension' sets us up for closer 'Sign Of The Cross', in which  7.5 Tonnes Of Beard lumber around like a giant psychopath intent on separating your head from body. At near 8 minutes in length its a punishing and unrelenting onslaught with Micky Higgins again scaring the kids with wide-eyed, manic vocal aggression.

You don't get asked to play on over 150 records without reason, and Alison Chesley has dragged her cello along to play with the likes of Mono, Bob Mould, Anthrax and Russian Circles. In many ways that's really beside the point though, because her project Helen Money is the real triumph.

Arriving Angels will be third album for Helen Money and it's one of the most intriguing and utterly rewarding things I've ever heard.

Mind you, Chesley makes you work for your reward with part of that reward being for withstanding the occasional vicious attack on your musical pendulum with some of the most violent and jarring bow work you will hear. The aptly titled 'Upsetter' is a great example, where she demonstrates the slow torture of discordant and repetitious passages with little relief. While some might knock you about the room with harsh vocals, Helen Money calmly removes your fingernails before painting the puffy raw ends with petrol. This is metal, but not the fun-loving carnival that Apocalyptica create with their cellos.

Consisting almost entirely of cello, with drums on four tracks and a sprinkling of piano in one, there is some similarity with guitar-and-bass metal, after all the source is vibrating strings, but the timbre and the nature of the attack and delay when plucked and struck with horsehair opens a new universe of awesome. Cello is surely the most emotional instrument in its natural form and in the right hands manipulation enhances it even further. This is why metal is its natural home.

Chesley serves us a variety of heartbeats, at times slow, at others full of pace driven by fear. The compositions are astounding. This is due in large part to the use of all of a note's available qualities – something usually lacking in rock and metal. In compositions like 'Midwestern Nights Dream' sequences of plucked notes are allowed to decay fully, while in others the attack is exploited to create a ticking clock.

Many of the most effective techniques are subtle and used very sparingly – perhaps once or twice - and provide great contrast with the electronic looping to create and retain a natural sound and feel, as well as mystery and tension. An example is the slow drumming in 'Shrapnel' which sounds like rimshots but for two beats toward the end that are more like flam. Similarly the slow plodding piano in closer 'Runout' sounds like single notes save for the last couple which are clearly chords with the keys not struck in perfect unison. Whether these are written or a consequence of the performance is irrelevant - Chesley has an amazing understanding of the difference between the warm humanity of the imperfect real-time elements and the cold precision of the loops.

When you listen to this though, you need to get out of any headspace that treats this as a novelty. It's not a must-have because it's a metal album played on cello. It's a must-have because it's a brilliant metal album.

Ornaments from Italy, are one of those bands I've seen mentioned online and thought I'd check them out. Luckily for me they have a new album released, Pneumologic and kindly submitted it for review.

Musically Ornaments play a mostly instrumental brand of post-rock/metal. Nothing new you might say, but there's more to Ornaments. There is a darker/heavier quality to the music more akin to Cult Of Luna or Pelican in feel, rather than Explosions In the Sky or Mogwai.

Special mention must be made of the drumming by Riccardo Bringhenti  throughout Pneumologic. A tribal pounding is sustained throughout as well as holding down the rhythm when needed. Its this octopus on steroids approach that propels some of these tracks to greatness. That's not to say the rest of the band are slouches, far from it. A subtle mix of stirring dynamics and down-tuned riffs keep everything flowing nicely.

For the most part songs are lengthy and instrumental, however 'Breath' features vocals. Initially I wasn't keen on the style of these vocals but the track has grown on me with repeated listens. I'm not entirely sure of the concept behind Pneumologic as a lot of the press info was in Italian. I sense however the vocals on 'Breath' are central to the theme.

'Aer' features some of that tribal drumming and steadily building atmospherics, before shifting into heavier moments. It is easy to see how Ornaments have supported the likes of Pelican in their homeland.

Pneumologic is delivered with passion and Ornaments aren't afraid to change things up to avoid repetition.
'Galeno' starts with eerie sounds creating an uneasy feeling. The guitars blend at first melodic, before shattering through your headphones, an impressive blend of atmospherics and volume make it another stand out track.

'Pneuma' follows at times frantic in pace with drumming again at the forefront, Enrico Baraldi laying thick basslines and Davide Gherardi and Alessandro Zanotti trading riffs . Its one of the heaviest and most immediate tracks here and is compelling listening.

'L'ora Del Corpo Spaccato' ends the album with a bit of a change of pace. Tense rhythms and hardcore style vocals come as a bit of a surprise. Its almost got an Amenra feel about it and again I'm not entirely sure about the vocals. They aren't delivered just as well as the instrumentals, however I applaud the change though and it may be a personal thing on my part. The track itself mutates into a sparse section before a hypnotic guitar melody rings out and the drums descend leading to more instrumental passages.

An impressive end to what is an excellent album and one I highly recommend.

So, over the last few years I been really intrigued by extreme metal from Germany, especially the likes of Nocturnal, Cruel Force and Ketzer comes to mind immediately and of course the revival of thrash metal’s favourite sons, Exumer.

However, within Germany itself something dark and malevolent has been brewing. There is excellent support from local German promoters with awesome festivals such as Party San Open Air, which promotes German metal, and that is where I got my first glimpse of Chapel of Disease in 2012. The German death metallers have recently released their first full-length titled Summoning Black Gods.

When you listen to the album, it’s like taking a time machine to the late 80s and early 90s, which in death metal’s case were the most important era for death metal with bands like Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower, Vader, Entombed etc. Well, Chapel of Disease do an amazing job in reminding the so called “Brutal Death Metal” morons of recent years that it’s not all about speed and technicality – which ruins it for me to be fair- but about writing riffs you can lose yourself in and that you can actually headbang to.

There is nothing more brutal than slow, crushing death metal to me personally, but hey, I’m merely a music journalist, or so they tell me.

Summoning Black Gods is a culmination of all the good things about death metal has to offer. The album consists of 8 bone-crushing traditional death metal tracks that will have you wiping your face off the wall within the first 2-3 tracks. Basically, it’s fucking evil!

Summoning Black Gods is an amazing album and shits all over these technical asshats. So if you’re tired of listening to death metal that basically all sounds the same, Chapel of Disease do not disappoint! Summoning Black Gods is an excellent release and one to keep your eye on in the future.

What an interesting word.

I had heard the word before, not in this exact form, but as 'fulminating appendicitis'. This is not a phrase that you ever want, or are ever likely, to hear, unless your appendix - the vestigial, germ-collecting cul-de-sac of the human gut - ruptures. Scary shit, because, as the word 'fulminating' suggests, in medical parlance, the onset of illness is sudden, severe and most often serious. 

After I saw that Kellar named their latest album Fulminant, I looked it up to get the real and proper meaning. To see that 'fulminant' is derived from the Latin word 'fulminare' - to strike with lightning - and knowing what I know about Kellar and their particular modes and manners of sonic assault...Let's just say that I can't think of a single, better word to describe the duo and their music.

And, yes, Kellar is now a duo, which is cool and kind of amazing on a couple of levels.

First, the fact that amazes me about Kellar, is that two people can make this much sound with just themselves and a bit of studio technology. They were a trio until around April of 2012 (see the interviews on (((o))) as well as the other Kellar music reviews). I thought that it was pretty amazing that three musicians could make these sounds. Maybe it's because I read the interview with Dan and Andy (by our own Gilbert Potts) while writing this and listening to Fulminant, but I can hear the change in song structure that Kellar alluded to. There is less contention for the listener's ears over the drums, and maybe the single guitar works better. I definitely think that Fulminant is a more accessible, musical (less noisy) album, while still being esoteric and greatly varied.

The second amazing thing, at least to me, is that this music is all improvised. If you have ever tried to do an impromptu speech, or attempted impromptu comedy, you know that it's difficult and easy at the same time - Difficult to make it 'work' and easy to let it suck. Improvisation has largely been the province of the Jazz elite, or at least that is the most well-known sector of the music world where one sees it most often. Improvisational music like Kellar's, sometimes Droney and Doomy, seems like it would be among the most difficult to make, at least from my layman's perspective. In the same interview with Kellar, they assert that, at least for them, improvisation is EASIER than the traditional, scripted, structured song (aka 'normal'). Improvisation means that you are likely to never hear the exact same rendition of a song twice.

And now, my standard disclaimer on when and where I listen to Kellar: While Fulminant is considerably more listener-friendly than most of Beloved Dean, it is definitely music that demands my full attention. This is sit-and-listen music at its finest, and hearkening back to my youth, the type of music that would have been amazing and really cool when paired with certain substances (which I DO NOT condone/condemn in any way). Fulminant is not an album I would play for my wife, unless I wanted her to leave me alone for 90 minutes or so. I would love to experience Kellar's live show as well, since improv is even more impressive live, and who knows? Maybe it will happen someday.

Did I forget to mention before that Fulminant is almost exactly 90 minutes of music? It boggles the mind, at least it does mine, that this album results from some riffs and beats that the musicians bring to the studio. I am jealous and envious to the extreme of that kind of creativity.

I don’t think that I can do justice, with my usual descriptors, to the range of musical styles and explorations, if you will, that Kellar touches on Fulminant. I will state vehemently that it’s much, much more than a collection of Avant-Noise meanderings, and is way closer stylewise to King Crimson and Frank Zappa than it would be to, say, Yoko Ono (the very model of Avant Garde, no?). You’ll hear everything from minor-tuned Fugue thrash to space rock; Precise Metal riffage oozing feedback to Velvet Underground-style devolution into static.

Fulminant is not background ambience, is not for those that just want feel good vibes from their tunes. But if you love Sonic Youth, any sort of hardcore Jazz, long Prog songs, walks on the beach, puppies...Wait, strike those...Take my advice: Buy this album, pour a glass of whatever you drink, put on the good headphones, sit back and listen hard. I think you’ll like Kellar’s latest. Has your old pal Jake steered you wrong yet?

Alkerdeel. Ouch. This sounds like it was recorded under the grimiest bed in the dankest cave imaginable, which would normally be an utter turn-off for me, but it just adds to the music. I am actually enjoying listening to something that sounds like it's being projected via headphones though a paper cup. This is dark, like, dark dark. The kind of dark you only get out in the country side in the depths of winter. A kind of dark where you can't sense anything around you until it's grasping you by the throat. If thoughts of witchcraft and generally evil stuff don't spring to mind, then I think you should consult some kind of therapist.

All of that aside, this has a real driving force behind it. Drilling through skull matter kind of force. Recording quality may be a big no-no for some, but if you can handle it sounding a bit sketchy, then by all means give this a go. But don't say I didn't warn you.

Well, this side is a little different. Cleaner. Which is a plus. A Den Of Robbers definitely have the lion's share of this split, starting out with a few fast and furious belters before launching into the five minute mid-mark and ending on a couple of volatile three minute blasts. Solid knuckle-cracking sludgy grind from start to finish with a welcome change of pace set in by 'In Shades' and taking a perfect transition through to 'Peoples Temple' which might be my favourite track so far.

Less challenging on the listening front, but still exciting and invigorating. Considering I wasn't sure where to start with either of these bands, I've walked away from this record interested in hearing more and picking this up.

FFO: Dragged Into Sunlight, Primitive Man

I confess, I had never heard of this band before - my sole reason for requesting this album was a track called 'Release The Kraken'. Because who doesn't love a Kraken reference?

Well - am I glad I did. This is not just one of the best stoner/fuzz albums of the last few years, it's one of the best ever. EVER. QOTSA? Pffffft.  Slo Burn? Nope. Fu Manchu? Ehhhhh. This album is probably the closest thing to a perfect release I’ll hear this year... In fact, excuse me if I wax lyrical, but it's that good.

So, while everyone on the interwebz is indulging in the 22 year old circle jerk that is the new My Bloody Valentine release (me included) I might just slide this one under the radar... But I feel what I write won't do it justice - you need to hear it yourself!

Dead Wahines and Tsunamis opens with 'Cyclops will be Beheaded' - a rollicking way to start the album and a clear indicator of the band's intentions for the next 70+ minutes as low thudding bass, melodic fuzzed up guitars and some great, powerful drumming all compete for space in your eardrums. It’s wonderful, and made me immediately think of Blues For The Red Sun in its scope and warmth…. A sense of space, time and place permeates this release, making it far greater than the sum of its parts.

Next up is 'Landkreuzer', where we start to see Feuerzeug's colours get nailed to the mast - superb dirty question and answer guitars, groovy bass and crisp, driving drumming. And with nary a gap we're into ‘Evel Knievel Has Kissed The Devil’ – one of the best tracks on the album for me with its irreverent subject matter making for some super cheesy vocals that normally I'd hate, but here I love. These are bookended nicely by a bass line that would be home in a Red Hot Chilli Peppers track and some great forceful guitar work that explodes into a big 60's breakdown and finish. It's great, and I suggest it as a driving song for sure.

I'm going to jump ahead a bit to 'Nitroghostcar' - a corker of a track. Over in three and a half minutes this drips aggression, swagger, rock, sweaty concerts and beer. And Motorhead. It was at this point on the album that I realised how truly melodic, groovy and fuzz laden the guitar work was - I'm running out of suitable comparisons but maybe Kyuss with 2 guitarists? A stoner rock version of The Darkness? Anyway, it's a rollicking good time which precedes the sludge'n'roll majesty of 'Fusion Van'. If you close your eyes during this track you can see America's High Desert appearing through the windscreen in front of you as you cruise down an empty road, this track blasting at epic volume while the sun beats down overhead.

Their serenade to the Desert theme continues for the next 2 tracks, 'Cruising the Desert Pt. 1' & 'Cruising The Desert Pt. 2' which are more of the same melodic, rock structure... and the change from 'Pt. 1' to 'Pt. 2' is excellent, as the two guitars exchange solos to bracket the tracks. Lovely. Then there's some feedback to finish and we're up to…

'Release The Kraken'. This track opens with exactly the sort of balls and swagger you would expect by now, with a lament to brave sailors lost to a mythical creature as the vocal content while again some excellent, dark and melodic music swirls around them. It's the second longest track on the album and I didn't notice the time at all - everything feels justified to be in there.

And then after the initial few minutes of rock out it finishes with an ambient taper off into 'Kometa', a song with some lovely little wah/harmonic guitar lines swirling through the mud of bass while the drums propel you into the soaring prog-rock styled 4/4 stomp at the end of the track - I can only imagine how much fun this would be live, with arching feedback providing ample opportunity for a huge rock finish.

I'm going to stop there and leave you with the following - in a fortnight where a new Eels album and a new My Bloody Valentine album have both been released (two bands I have adored for many, many years), both have struggled to get time in my eardrums ahead of Feuerzeug. I'm even picky about what music with vocals I listen to and yet this album kicked in my door, beat me over the head and demanded me to love it - and goddamn it, I do. It's exciting, melodic, groovy, cheeky and not once does it drag for me - rare on a 70+ minute album. And it’s only their second release!

So after all that gratuitous wank on my part it boils down to this - if you like stoner rock, fuzzy guitars, big rock epics and simply great music, this is a compulsory album. It's not flawless, but holy shit it's close. This proudly sits alongside some classic albums and holds its weight against them all - a mighty effort. In fact, we're all spoilt that this exists - it's February and I have a heavy contender for album of 2013…. Even though this came out in October last year!

So, thank you 'Kraken' reference! Now - how to get to Switzerland... I'm exceedingly jealous of anyone who gets to see them live!

Maybe it was something in the water. Out of fertile musical ground sprang forth Youth Movie Soundtrack Strategies, Jonquil, Foals and This Town Needs Guns. Oxford baby. I had (still have) music scene envy. I’m from Sheffield, I had to contend with Milburn, Little Man Tate and The Rev *shudder*.

It was a song on a rocksound cover mounted cd that first brought This Town Needs Guns (or TTNG as they have been newly christened) to my ears. From there I sought out their split EP/mini album thing with Cats And Cats And Cats. I relistened to that split before writing this and it still sounds tremendous all these years later. TTNG are all about the guitar. They hurtle melodies at you in such quick fire succession, it’s at turns both thrilling and disorientating. When they get it right, it is a marvel to behold. When they get it wrong, it acts as a barrier. An excluding mechanism. There are moments on their debut, Animals, which bristle with indulgence that act as such a barrier.

The band has been through a number of line-up changes. The one that convened to record this, their second album, exists with a new singer who now also takes up bass playing duties after their previous one departed. The keening voice of Henry Tremain on first listen reminded me of Saves The Day’s Chris Conley, and even a touch of Alex Trimble of Two Door Cinema Club (I’m so very sorry!! Please, come back!). Really though, he kinda does.

For such a major change in the core members, it is fortunate that the key elements that made TTNG so appealing remain by and large intact. If anything, whatever has been going on behind the scenes seems to have given the band a renewed vigour. 13.0.0.0.0 is a wonderful album, an album that grows with each successive listen and stakes an early claim for record of the year. It is as concerned with the minutiae of each gorgeous arpeggio as it is with the overarching sound and structure. Something which Animals, for me, never struck the right balance.

The album is seemingly pieced together with the minimum of fuss. Very clean and warm, the guitars peel away from the thrust of the song at any given moment, but then wrangle it all back in seconds later. The instrumental ‘In The Branches Of Yggdrasil’ relies upon a syncopated bass run not too dissimilar to ‘Narrow Stairs’ era Death Cab… and marks out a more sedate song writing approach.

Coupled with ‘2 birds, 1 stone And An Empty Stomach’, it gives the album a breadth of scope that sets this line-up of the band apart from any previous incarnations, and also distances them from their peers. They take cues from American Football, Owen & perhaps Minus The Bear but with 13.0.0.0.0 have set a high bar for fiddly, forward thinking guitar music.

If there’s a negative here then it perhaps overstays its welcome by a song or so, and naming a song ‘Nice Riff, Clichard’ is asking for a roll of the eyes, but these are minor points when the whole is so gratifying.

It’s consistently inviting, rewarding multiple visits. The melodies buried in ‘Cat Fantastic’ or ‘Havoc In The Forum’ reveal over time, they’re densely constructed  but also wonderfully accessible. The real success with this record, and the indication of just how far TTNG have progressed are how confident they are with placing the more delicate tracks amongst the rippers.

Sometimes while seeking out new music I stumble on something that makes me want to shake everyone until they take notice. It happened recently with Archon, a band from New York who despite me being oblivious to, have been building a reputation Stateside.

Archon blends the heaviest of doom/sludge and experimental metal into a stew of thick riffs and overpowering rhythms. There are elements of doom, psych filled sludge and post-metal ambience all apparent on Ouroboros Collapsing.

They have pulled all these elements together and recorded an album of the murkiest and heaviest music imaginable. Featuring vocals from both Rachel Brown and Chris Dialogue, they navigate the swampy rhythms at times both howling with guttural screams and more melodic clean singing. Rachel in particular impresses with her range of vocals, equally adept at clean singing and demonic howls.

Archon have been through various line-up changes and have a few releases behind them. Formed by guitarist Andrew Jude they now have a settled line up that incorporates members of the also excellent Alkahest. They've played with the likes of Unearthly Trance, Coffinworm, Hull and Batillus.

Previous release The Ruins at Dusk was an epic recording of atmospheric extreme metal. On Ouroboros Collapsing they've managed somehow to make it even thicker and heavier sounding whilst matching its quality. As I'm only introducing myself to the band time will tell which is the better release (I'm enjoying both immensely). I suspect this new release will further prove their quality and help spread the word of their filthy heavy grooves.

Featuring four tracks, two around 15 minutes and two 10 minutes in length there is an element of epic voyage about Ouroboros Collapsing. One of those albums that shifts in styles and mood throughout, all of it is enthralling listening.

Beginning with the impressive 'Worthless' it builds atmospherics slowly until the blackened guitars crash in and Rachel's melodic vocals ring out. The muddy mix of guitars and bass makes it downright filthy, with Rachel and Chris both contributing growled vocals. More ambient textures give way to a further barrage of sludge and psychedelic riffage.

'Desert Throne' has a more immediate impact; devastatingly heavy at first it soon features a Kylesa-like passage with clean vocals. This gives it a more stoner/sludge feel as it re-occurs. Archon are now proving they have quality song-writing on offer among the deluge of doom and sludge. 'Desert Throne' in particular serving up riffs, hooks, and some stunning guitar work.

'God's Eye' continues the trip, again psychedelic riffs, murky rhythms and experimental sounds roll out. Frantic drumming and deranged vocals give way to more stoner vibe singing. Back and forth it heaves leaving you dizzy from the shear heaviness and mixture of styles.

'Masks' closes the album, an expansive slow paced doom workout, closing what is an excellent album. If you like your metal dirty sludge filled and head crushingly heavy, then Archon could be just what you've been looking for.

Ouroboros Collapsing is available here with a further physical release coming on the excellent The Path Less Traveled Records.

I said it before, but I will say it again: the year 2013 is still short, but oh boy, we have been absolutely spoiled with good music already! To add to this vastly growing collection of brilliance, Conan now released the complete live set they played at Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands last year through the fantastic Burning World Records.

There is nothing new on this live release as all songs have been released on the studio releases Monnos and Horseback Battle Hammer, but the great production of this live set and the chosen 6 songs they played makes this a fantastic “best-of” album. Monnos was my album of the year 2012 (see our full list here), and there is a good reason for this. Conan is in my opinion the current best in combining ear-destroying, skull crushing and bowel vacating heavy filthy riffs with slow earth shattering pounding drums. Conan builds upon previously established foundations of metal, doom and sludge, but completely adds their own stamp to this.

Mount Wrath starts with one of my favourite Conan tracks, ‘Krull’, also the opener on Horseback Battle Hammer. This song starts so slow, it is almost re-defining what slow means. And I get the feeling Conan was doing their extra best to play ‘Krull’ even slower during this live performance. It really goes on for quite a couple of minutes, building this huge wall of sound. Filthy riff creator John Paul Davis opens his mouth after a while shouting the amazing opening lyric “MYYY NAAAAME IS KRUUUULLLL…I LIIIIVE ON A MOOOUUUNNN….TAAAAIIINNNN!!!”. The great thing about ‘Krull’ is that after these long slow repeating riffs the song completely breaks open to a nice tempo change, while bass player Phil Coumbe takes over vocal duties, providing a deeper and gruntier voice.

One of Conan strong points in my opinion is drummer Paul “Rippled” O’Neill. It is not the most technical drumming he produces, but being a drummer myself I can only confirm how difficult it is to drum so slow for long stretches, suppressing the need to slightly speed up while the song is on-going. But most of all, he really brings a lot of depth to Conan’s heavy wall of guitar filth by adding lots of cymbal touches, like a little splash hit here and a china hit there. I always noticed this on the studio recordings, but the production on Mount Wrath is done perfectly, so that these cymbal details really come through very nicely. Next time you listen to Conan focus your ears open on the drums and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Continuing with Mount Wrath, after ‘Krull’ it continues with a couple of “faster” tracks, ‘Satsumo’, ‘Hawk As Weapon’ and ‘Battle In the Swamp’ before ‘Headless Hunter’ takes things right back down again. And ‘Headless Hunter’ again has so many great details going on with the drums that it is an absolute pleasure to listen to. Listen for example to the nice hi-hat rhythm after around 1:50 in. Both vocalists combine the singing on this song, giving this track an extra level of edginess. Similar to ‘Krull’, ‘Headless Hunter’ ends on an up-tempo bit, with the brief introduction of pounding double bass drums. Mount Wrath finishes with the epic long and slow track ‘Sea Lord’ again taken off their earlier Horseback Battle Hammer release.

After Burning World Records already released the Bongripper Roadburn live set (find it here), they now released what, according to some people, was one of Roadburn’s best ever live sets. It is a great release, and any fan of heavy deep filthy doom/sludge should get this as you won’t be disappointed.

Mount Wrath is available on Bandcamp through the “name your price” option, but fans of physical music will be pleased to hear that it will also be released on CD first and then on vinyl as well in a couple of weeks time.

Conan will hopefully release a new studio album soon, but in the meantime you can catch them live as they're about to embark on a extensive European and UK tour. Catch them live if you can!

War Iron hail from my home Belfast, at least that's what their profile says. Listening to them I'm more inclined to believe they were forged in the fiery pits of hell. This is sludge at its most filthy, all low end rumbling and vocals no more than tortured screams. Twin Bass provide the bone-rattling dirge, this is the kind of stuff to accompany, say a weekend of virgin bloodletting and sticking red hot pokers up yer ass.

So, no War Iron won't be appearing on "This Morning" anytime soon, unless it’s to fulfil some work of Beelzebub himself. Come on Philip Schofield's got more than a retired Gopher puppet in his closet. Many a skeleton lurk there in I'm sure, and I'd like to see his face when War Iron come calling time.

Anyway back to the music, I became aware of War Iron through the impressive Tartarus Records and discovered they had released a split with Glasgow's 's own HEADLESS KROSS which is available here.

Musically The Fifth And Final Sun stays low in gear and sound. That's what's intended though as it slowly unravels working its way into your brain. Occasionally it all locks into a devilish groove, when it does it is over-powering. Tracks average around the 7 minute mark and 'Black Fleet' is double that. Drums are pounded into submission while the two bassists provide treacle thick riffs throughout.

If you like the kind of earth shattering slow doom and sludge of Conan and Slomatics then War Iron may just be what you need.

The Fifth and Final Sun is available as a limited cassette (is it 1980?) now here. Orders also include an immediate digital download.