The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) must have been such an exciting time for the people who were there at the start of it all. So many talented bands emerged—or simply became more well-known—during the years of 1978–1984; bands like Blitzkrieg, Saxon, Angel Witch, Satan, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, and Motörhead. The sound was darker, tougher, and faster than the more blues-based roots of the first round of British Invasion bands. It was a mixture of rock and punk, and the kids ate it up. Oslo's Magister Templi is continuing in the footsteps of such bands. Their debut full-length Lucifer Leviathan Logos captures a bit of the magic of a golden age of heavy metal.

The members of Magister Templi definitely have a special place in their collective heart for the NWOBHM bands, as well as bands who came directly after the second British movement; early doom bands in particular. Lucifer Leviathan Logos has epic, galloping guitar runs reminiscent of Mercyful Fate, early Trouble, and Pentagram (see 'Lucifer' and 'Master of the Temple'), grand guitar harmonies ('Logos' and throughout), solid acoustic passages ('VITRIOL'), and theatrical (read: over-the-top) vocals throughout (best when not trying to nail higher pitches; the attempts to do so come off clumsy and extremely forced). With time the vocals might be on-par with the superb instrumentation. Hopefully.

Occultism is a running theme, as it was with a few of the more doom-laden bands of the early '80s. Bands such as Angel Witch and King Diamond embraced these ideas with much success. Magister Templi uses these same themes and succeed in not sounding overly campy, (however, the vocals do detract a bit).

All in all, Lucfer Leviathan Logos is a successful record. Musically, it is spot-on. Vocally, it could use a little work. A little more control over pitch changes/shifts would do it. Any fan of the NWOBHM movement should check it out and judge for themselves.

I like to think of myself a connoisseur of all things deemed “uncool” or “un-hip” if you will. Under this umbrella of inane expertise, within the music category, it covers hardcore (I checked). So apparently, the new kid on the block that has a few blogs buzzing is called Rough Hands, not sure if that is in relation to some song from another band I will not name. Not that it would bother me or anyone else, once you hear what these lads have to offer.

Could this be the first attempt to take over the modern hardcore mantle in the U.K.? Well, maybe, just maybe. I’m willing to back them based on what I have heard from this self-titled 7” EP.

It has everything you want from modern hardcore. It’s fast, furious, relentless and short. Before you know it, it’s over and you’re left wonder “What the fuck just happened?”. It has punchy hardcore riffs, the vocal work is amazing and it’s pretty tight all-round.  The EP consists of 4 tracks and well, it speaks volumes of what we can expect from this U.K. hardcore outfit. One thing I did pick up on, the vocal style is very similar to that of Full of Hell additionally the record has similar kind of breakdowns, tempo-wise anyway.

Rough Hands release their self-titled 7” EP on Monday, the 20th of May through Day By Day Records, Holy Roar Records and Illegal Activity.

I would highly recommend this 7” EP to those of you who are into Converge, Conqueror, Soul Search, Hopeless, Broken Teeth, Full of Hell and Sea of Shit.

I might have to dig deep into the budget and get me this 7”, simply fantastic.

Scorned Deity hail from a bleak city (Detroit, MI). Well, one that has seen itself fall apart over the economic spiral the worlds seen. So they took some inspiration from their personal collective and city around them and crafted a bleak story: Adventum is the legend of a man who comes to discover the fabled memoirs (from various kings of old) and obtain its ascendancy. Applying the knowledge of the old monarchs to build a kingdom in his own image. Using his sway, conjuring ancient gods and aided by a siren to possess the crown. Starting from nothing to transcending divinity. "Shout at the open wounds and mend them swiftly for it is time, holding our breath above our heads for the arms never weary shall grasp high." So that’s the story, now lets chat about to tunes!!!

Playing a black metal influence brand of death metal, there are many epic at driving to the edge moments on this album. Songs are at times straight death metal, then swoop in to a key laden mix with female operatic vocals on top. Opening title track starts with the wind, what sounds like an organ (?) and keys moving in slowly along with moans of beauty piercing through it all. You envision a woman standing is a foggy mountainside, cold and lost. Then ripper of souls ‘The Hand of Will’ comes flying in, tossing her ass of that mountain while riding horses of fire! The drumming bobs back and forth between gallop and blast, throwing fills in at times. The guitars are ever steady in there speedy delivery, and the vocals range from hating you, to killing you. Pretty good!!!

‘Preserver’ has a solo that’s worthy of rewinding and listening a few times in a row. Smooth, sweet, done. The lead guitar that comes afterward is rather good as well, almost playing tag with the rhythm guitars. ‘A Screever In Our Midsts’ follows the same path as ‘Preserver’ ripping from the get-go and breaking a bit when the solo comes in. The band know when to let the guitars shine, and not get too technical behind it, which is a plus as the point of a solo is usually to be the standout at that time. For me personally, ‘Slowlamaka’ is the take home track mainly due to its slower tempo and depressive atmosphere. If you’re going to make music bone chilling, commit to it, and this song does. It reminds me of days walking out on frozen, snow covered back roads, and staring at the sky… Closing out this expedition is ‘A Spectacle In Red’, a song that takes every element the band has and really wraps it all together. Aggressive when it needs to be, but never just for the sake of it. They keep all the instruments moving as part of a song, becoming one awesome sound all together. Aces.

Scorned Deity have put out a pretty impressive album here. I will say that the keys are a bit much at times, but not to the point of wanting to change the song. The way I see it, as this is their second album, Scorned Deity have nowhere to go but up, and I can't wait to see what comes next. You can grab Adventum on the band’s Bancamp page digitally, or grab a shirt with the album off their webstore.

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HAIL!!!

Picture the scene; The National are touring with a rockier group than themselves, who suggest enhancing their famously relaxed sound with drugs. The National, being naive stock up on weed and valium, record Trouble Will Find Me, and singlehandedly invent dinner party indie.

This didn’t happen, but it feels that way.

The National were never the kind of band to trouble hotels with worries of broken TV sets and squid in the bath. Not for them the debauched tales that made Motley Crue a rock n roll cliché. They’re more likely to play a quiet set to accountants called Nathan than set fire to a venue for a laugh. Even by their standards though, Trouble... is a low key affair.

It’s a pleasant enough release which will no doubt be well-received by their fans, but it doesn’t go anywhere exciting. Most of the songs have a quite lovely breakbeat drum line, with varied timings proving a deep technical understanding. This is a clever album, but it’s boring.

Matt Berninger has a calm, measured baritone voice, but where Johnny Cash used his voice, filling it with piss, vinegar and spite, Berninger barely stretches, maintaining what is almost a drone from the start. In ‘Don’t Swallow The Cap’ he sings “I have only two emotions, careful fear and dead devotion”, but judging by his delivery even that’s a stretch. He’s almost disinterested, leaving the listener willing him to let rip and try something new. It’s almost claustrophobic. 

The star of Trouble Will Find Me is undoubtedly Bryan Devendorf, a drummer who’s clearly in the wrong band. Under every track is his frantic percussion, urging the dirges to greater heights, but ultimately being swallowed under the weight of too much production, indistinct guitar and barely audible piano.

‘Graceless’ is a moment of clarity, where The National step it up a gear to walking speed, or perhaps a gentle canter. You get the feeling that Devendorf’s timing has tricked the band into picking up the pace, so that they almost rock out. Then ‘Slipped’ comes in, with limited percussion. Bryan’s had his wrists slapped, the naughty boy.

Trouble Will Find Me isn’t a bad album by any means, but through its 56 minute running time you find yourself yearning for some variation. When you get some, it’s very quickly taken away. It’s a shame, because, judging by The National’s earlier releases - notably Alligator, and Boxer - they’re capable of much, much more.

Still, if you’ve got Jeremy and Natasha coming over for a fair trade dinner party next week, you could do worse than pick up Trouble Will Find Me while you’re out getting a nice pinot noir. I recommend Oyster Bay. Reassuringly expensive.

Writing a review of a Melvin’s record should really only consist of a few words. Go buy it. They have never disappointed and they have never been predictable. While they are most often cited as influential in metal circles their discography is a genre jumping odyssey of carefully constructed albums. Sometimes deadly serious, sometimes side splitting hilarious, usually both. The one thing that all of their releases have in common is quality. This newest album, made up of cover songs, Everybody Loves Sausages is a glimpse inside a few of their influences and in an odd way serves as a bridge that spans their nearly 30 year career.

Covers records are always a challenge to listen to initially. It’s hard not to compare the cover version with the original. If you aren’t familiar with the original version seeking it out can often lead to disappointment. What the Melvins have accomplished with this record is made even more remarkable because it works just like a Melvins record. Even familiar songs such as their take on Queen’s ‘Best Friend’ would not seem out of place on any Melvins record. Fans will be happy for a return of some of the pop-inflected weirdness of Stag or The Bootlicker and newcomers may be prepared for the weirder side of the Melvins when they stumble across stranger entries in their catalogue.

One of the most endearing features of the Melvins is their unpredictability. ‘In Every Dream Home A Heartache’ a Roxy Music cover with Jello Biafra on vocals, retains all of the ominous creepiness of the original, complete with the heavily effected fade out in the middle. Having a legendary punk rock icon sing a legendary art/glam rock song would seem either out of place or even tongue in cheek anywhere else. Here it makes perfect sense. Genre is irrelevant the only thing that matters is if it’s good.

Other standout tracks include a lively version of ‘Black Betty' that goes by entirely too fast. ‘Warhead’ (Venom) features Scott Kelly of Neurosis and thunders along just like you would want that collaboration to. The incredibly catchy ‘Carpe Diem’ (The Fugs) and its anachronistic lyrics about death will likely be stuck in the back of your head for days. You wont even realize its there until you start humming it. ‘Female Trouble’ (Divine) is performed by the Melvins Lite and Trevor Dunn’s upright bass snakes around trashy drums and an almost Tom Waits like vocals.

One particularly satisfying aspect of this record is how the Melvins make each song their own but capture the feel of the originals so well. Even down to the production for each song. The punk rock songs sound nice and raunchy, like they should. 'Station to Station' (David Bowie) retains all of the layered, experimental swagger of the original but adds the Melvins weight. Little production touches throughout show both a respect for he source material and a willingness to push for new directions.

This may be a covers album but it is still very much a Melvins record full of all of the weird, abrasive catchiness we have all come to expect from them. Everybody Loves Sausages serves as a bit of insight into what made influenced the Melvins and made them one of the most compelling and interesting bands of the last several decades. This record fits perfectly alongside the rest of the Melvins long and varied discography. At this point in their career they could probably even get away with a Christmas album. I would buy that too.

I really wasn’t sure how to start this review, or how to do ‘Quickbeam’ justice with mere words so I'm just going to come right out & say it; Glasgow’s Quickbeam have recorded this year’s album of the year. The true injustice here is that music this stunning, emotive and brilliantly played is probably going to be overlooked by the masses. Another fantastic (Scottish) band who will give those of us with a beating heart reason to believe. Reason to hope. Reason to live.

This is one of the finest hours of music you’ll hear. The album is only 52 minutes long, but the full hour will be made up of going back to ‘The Great Expanse’ to hear that glorious moment when the track stops momentarily, only to begin again with a melody and arrangement that will make your heart explode. An exquisite joyful fluttering of harmonium (?) that sounds not unlike the Italian National Anthem. You’ll play it again. One hour of magical music.

Quickbeam eschew song writing structure, often neglecting to bother with a chorus, instead letting the music transport the listener with creative flourishes of strings, brass and woodwind instruments. There are 3 gorgeous instrumental interludes, ‘Mountains’, ‘1743’ and ‘Far Out At Sea’, the first and last having the brilliant ability to conjure up images of the track’s title.

So let us return to the beginning of the album and opening tune ‘Remember’, one of the tracks to feature a chorus, and it’s lovely too. The hymnal vocals (from Monika Gromek) that feature throughout the album are ushered in on a soundscape of wondrous violin/cello. I must mention the production and arrangements on this album, they are exceptional and you have to remind yourself that this band are not signed to a major label. (In fact they credit Creative Scotland for assisting with ensuring the album got made at all).

The lengthy intro to second track and debut single ‘Seven Hundred Birds’ is melancholic and mournful, but highly emotive so that you’re left with a feeling of euphoria rather than sadness. ‘Immersed’ might have connotations of drowning but it’s an uplifting song with a vocal melody and final instrumental flourish that raises you up from the waters.

Quickbeam referenced Sigur Ros in the Press Release that went with the album, which attracted me to them in the first place. ‘Fall’ is certainly one moment that echoes the Icelandic melody makers when the alternative vocals of Andrew Thomson take over. There are quite a few tracks on the album that feature the muted brass and twinkling pianos often favoured by Sigur Ros but not in a plagiaristic way. Scottish highlands and lochs are the imagery inspiring here and there’s certainly a warmer feeling in the sounds.

‘Home’ is one of two tracks that allow Quickbeam to swell the music into an eruption of guitars, recalling the heady swoosh of Slowdive. ‘Grace’ being the other, both are gorgeously melodic and the extra dynamic is a welcome moment.

The aforementioned highlight ‘The Great Expanse’ is positioned at track 9, the flow throughout the album is perfectly paced, with the interludes and alternative male/female vocal tracks ensuring you remain mesmerised.

Closing track ‘One To Hold’ gives you a warm embrace and ends the album in a joyous mood, we’ve had an emotional journey, trauma has inspired, we emerge at the journey’s end ready to set sail again.

I hope I’ve managed to convey to you just how incredible this album is. I don’t think I can satisfy myself with whatever I write that will do the band true justice. You must hear it for yourself, you must enrich your life with Quickbeam’s music. Part of me wants the masses to hear Quickbeam and part of me just wants to keep it for myself.

To quote Echoes and Dust Editor Dan, this album is ‘All kinds of lovely’. A perfect summation of a perfect album.

The pace of ‘London Bound’, the opening track of Just handshakes debut album Say It, grabs from the off. The bassline kicks in and quickly brushed symbols come along and suddenly it’s not 2013, where everything’s shit, it’s 1986 and New Order are there and there’s optimism among all the shit. The melody in the chorus is hugely upbeat, Clara Patrick’s lilting vocal sounds like spring itself and before the track’s finished this massive smile has appeared and just for a minute everything’s not as shit as it was five minutes ago. The nostalgic lyrics even back this up: “Those days when we were carefree and we thought that nothing would ever change.”As opening tracks go, it’s pretty good then, and making it lead single was a wise move. Watch out Slow Club, the indie pop crown just got a new contender.

Every track has every ingredient indie pop ever needed: there are crisp vocals, jangling guitars moving between tidy riffs and shimmering chords, melodies sweet enough to sprinkle all over your summer. Christ, they’re from Leeds and the album is being released by a Californian label!

Title track ‘Say It’ is the sound of a band wondering what life has in store and hopeful that the answer, when it comes, will be positive. “How many days staring at the ceiling, when will you find something to believe in?”

There’s a folky intonation to Patrick’s voice that fits the band as perfectly as a C86 tape fitted a cassette player. The conversational nature of the verses works well too, Patrick addressing her equal, whether it’s a lover or the listener is irrelevant. For twenty-somethings not long out of university and wondering why they made the investment, here is a band that understands but isn’t utterly despondent about it all.

As the album develops so too does its sound, synths becoming more prominent, adding a new dimension. It’s mature, which you’d expect given the band have been recording for a couple of years now and in its mellower moments you can hear elements of Stereolab along with the afore-mentioned C86 influences.

It’s not faultless – but debuts aren’t. ‘Dead and Alive’ is perhaps a little too jaunty in the verse, although the chorus has another great hook. ‘Cut & Run’ sounds as though it was written before the bulk of the album, and its fuzzier feel is at odds with the tracks that surround it. And the cover artwork seems to be similarly at odds with the overarching theme of the album.

These are small matters though. By the time the sound swells on ‘Stick Around’ and closer ‘Balmoral’ has arrested your pulse, there’s only one place to go and that’s back to the start again.

The band may have taken their time to release Say It, but it’s been worth the wait. Just Handshakes? Forget that, get over here and give me a big hug.

Take a look at the cover of this album and you will immediately understand that this album is the DIY product of a very creative musician.

This guy, strapped with cables and other stuff probably used in the making of this album, is Cardiff-based Matt Strangis who debuts with his album Square Peg In A Square Hole which in fact marks the start of Firewheelbombfire. Written and recorded in his home dungeon with absolutely no budget Matt takes us on a very expressive journey through an unsettling and desolate world.

Besides his home made laboratorium kit consisting of percussion, guitar, cymbals, snares he also used several borrowed instruments like piano and even other noise enabling pieces and bits you can find around the house.

Matt already showed his skills in many, hazy, guitar-based bands and even produced drum&bass and dubsteb under his other moniker ‘Billy Gone Bad’, but this one is definitely something else.

However, if you listen closely the mentioned influences can be traced back on this, sometimes, freaky aural experiment.

SPIASH meanders from dark ambient to post- & stonerrock and stirs in a broad pallet of discordant and enticing sounds. The ultimate soundtrack for imaginative dark landscapes and surreal disturbing stories.

Let’s go through the different stages in this journey.

‘Doggone’, the album’s opener, starts like an oncoming train approaching from a tunnel but its passage is suddenly disrupted by acoustic guitars and vocal humming.

The instrumental track develops towards typical post-rock with electric guitars but at the end, by the sound of distorted ringtones of a railway crossing, we are again warned for the passage of the train - or maybe for the rest of the trip ?

‘Get Out Much?’ with its dark restrained vocals, hypnotic ticking sounds and heavy guitars sucks you into a mystic world and that will happen more and more in the album. It somehow reminds me of the Saviour album by Antimatter.

‘Francis’ is a bleak, melancholic tune with distant noise and a spooky piano from an old gramophone. The fragile vocals seem the tell the story of a broken man. The created atmosphere echoes David Lynch’s masterpiece Eraser.

After these sinister and desolate songs it’s time for ‘Carry On Carrie’ an uplifted, delighted track with rousing guitars, heavy metallic riffing but also with an awe inspiring twist at the end when it seems that your ears have been drenched in some kind of weird fluid. In the distance you hear distorted voices slowly fading away.

Back to the surreal Lynchian atmosphere then with ‘Telephone Voice (On/Off)’, an almost waltzing conversation between two persons (or is it just one person with a double personality ?) featuring the warped voice (Telephone On) and the ‘normal’ voice (Telephone Off).

‘Trodite’ is an instrumental piece leaning heavily on electronic loops and takes you a little out of the mud but not for long as the next traumatic experience is upon you.

Just like ‘Get Out Much?’ the dark electronic sounds and heavy ominous bass lines on ‘Pissing Guild’ take you into a nightmarish run through hidden corridors, lost in a maze underground. The perpetual anguish sinks into a deep hole at the end, but suddenly you’re awake again: ‘Polypoly’ floats on a bed of acoustic guitars and Indian sitar-like sound, very spiritual. In fact, it easily suggests that your spirit has detached itself from the body. Floating high in the air you can see a vast, burned landscape below you.

In ‘September’ the electronic and dub background from the creator comes to the surface. The mood changes again as the repetitive beats evoke a more delighted rush. Matt sings on this one as well.

The final track ‘It Ran And Ran And Ran slants back to the weird and harsh worlds we have explored earlier, blending aggressive metalriffs, stoner-rock and industrial elements. The pace finally slows down with some Black Sabbath-like doom and ultimately fades away in noisy feedback. It leaves you in a perplexed, puzzled state but for listeners with an open mind (like myself) it also entices you to re-experience the whole journey again.

Bottomline: Firewheelbombfire (a.k.a Matt Strangis) delivers an intriguing piece of work that will definitely suit everyone eager to seek the bounderies in music.

Lozk is a Colombian artist that blends influences from diverse genres: experimental, electronica, industrial, big beat, ambient, and drum n' bass into a delicious musical stew. The sound is dynamic, edgy, adventurous, electronic and deeply layered. Lozk samples the world around him for his music which includes ordinary and quotidian objects, sounds from the street, animals, and musical instruments. The amassed sounds are woven into catchy, well structured tracks.

Lozk's ten song album is entitled Irrational. I was impressed from start to finish by Lozk's irrational journey. At the core of most of his tracks are mutilated synth, straining keyboards and dissonant sounds. It makes sense that this album starts and finishes with a track featuring piano. That is piano if it was scored for a  Tim Burton film. The intro track, an instant favourite of mine, 'Twilight Run' blends a beautiful and haunting piano melody with a brilliant electronic vibe that constantly fades in and out of focus. Various eerie electronic constructs float up and down within the many layers of this impressive track.  The song has a dark, industrial-ish feel with some smacking percussion (holy snare!) and creepy digital sounds. An absolutely delicious track. The layered voyage into Lozk's shadowy musical world continues with the frantic whirling melody of 'Kowka's Guts' which sounds like it could derail at any moment.

Another standout track is 'Requiem Machina'. First, a little interesting background on the track from Lozk's website. The tracks' eerie female vocals are based on meaningless and randomly selected syllables which are apparently Dadaist inspired. Inspired? You bet. The track is incredibly trippy. It evokes thoughts of some sort of strange pagan ritual. I'm sure if you played it backward something would appear. Please do not try this at home. 'Requiem Machina' pushes a frenzied and hypnotic beat with a trance inducing pace and a constant bombardment of vocal sounds.

The next two tracks 'Subterranea' and 'Aquarium' seem to blend together with 'Subterranea' acting as a strange intro for 'Aquarium'. 'Aquarium' features slow but striking acoustic guitar mixed with dark atmospheric punctuations that add apprehension and keep this track sufficiently weird. By mid-track, 'Aquarium' introduces some beefy percussion as it dives into Lozk's murky pool of samples.

Captivating dark ambient/industrial vibes and imposing percussion surface again for 'Time Hoist' and 'Echolalia'. 'Time Hoist' is a staggering tromp fused with more of Lozk's dark mutated samples and sci-fi influenced sounds. 'Echolalia' sounds like a berserk electronic beast crashing through Tokyo. Echolalia! The track is random and absorbing like much of Skinny Puppy's material with intense sounds cascading with fury, seemingly from everywhere.

Irrational started with piano and it ends with piano. Lozk brings Debussy's somber and slow 'Des Pas Sur La Neige' into the 21st century. The gentle rolling piano melody of 'Des Pas Sur La Neige' is juxtaposed with the atmospheric whizzing of electronics and cosmic samples. It is a curious combination that I didn't find initially appealing. I expect it will grow on me however. All the other tracks on Irrational certainly have.

Irrational is a stupefying accomplishment of digital sound engineering. Lozk's unique percussion sounds and inspiring sample manipulation are some of the best, most engaging and original I've ever heard. Period. The zealously and lush soundscapes he creates are imaginative, gripping and possess the spellbinding quality of a visionary musical journey. Lozk's creative vision is matched by his technical ability with guitar, piano and voice. It would be wholly irrational for fans of gritty dark electronica to miss out on Irrational.

In recent weeks the sun has been growing less shy and we're seeing more and more of that phantom memory people mythologise about called "Summer". The days are getting longer, warmer and in turn, lazier. Thrill Jockey's latest release from Date Palms - The Dusted Sessions, has seemingly been crafted for and targeted at those drenched in heavy sunlight, wasting the day away like lizards baking on a rock and in that respect it does not disappoint.

Oozing in like a throbbing heat, The Dusted Sessions begins with drone-heavy delirium 'Yuba Source Part 1', the first of a three-part piece which ultimately works to make up the core of the album. Setting the tone for the record the quintet of Tusken Raiders chug guitars and slide strings, falling into the reverberation of their own instruments and allowing the bass to take hold as the sole rhythmic performer whilst retaining a constant interesting melody.

After a brief synthesised interlude via 'Six Hands to the Light', Pt.2 begins much where Yuba 1 left off: hazy, hypnotic and recurrent only this time with an overall fuzzier tone than before. The distortion of the bass guitar and synthesiser soon begin to merge into one soft but ever-present buzzing that seems to perfectly represent that feeling of a hard midday’s sun on your face and much like before, the guitars chug and the strings slide while soft keys touch and go. The immediately following reprise is also a treat as deeply textured guitar rolls in the far off distance, like a heavy wind blowing through sand while sitar resonates and twangs up close.

One of Date Palm's core duo, Gregg Kowalsky (the other being Marielle Jakobsons) has notably released ambient works with drone super-label Kranky [another personal favourite of mine] and certain pieces in The Dusted Sessions raise the idea of contextualising the group. 'Night Riding the Skyline' is a fine example of a track that could quite easily fit (much like the rest of the album) on either Kranky or Thrill Jockey as it certainly boasts the proudest elements that both these fine labels regularly exhibit: the 11 minute centrepiece draws the brain to comparison of many Kranky people, from Windy & Carl to Lichens and even Loscil, in some idea or thought. The track is also notable for holding the only drumbeat in the album (albeit a stuttering echo drenched beat) and seems as though it were lifted straight out of Pink Floyd's Animals. 'Night Riding…' has a constant  dubby groove, ordained in Gilmour-esque guitar licks and organ stabs that could only have been influenced by the late, great Rick Wright.

The Dusted Sessions is a strong collection of conceptual, well executed and immersive music. The group claim to have been inspired by the Eureka Dunes and that couldn't be closer to the truth. The dense stifling heat of the desert is everywhere in this record, much like the sand it's made of.

The hypnotic waves of sound flow into every crack and crevice, into the pores of the listener's skin and vibrate the walls with resonance. Date Palms are not the only group in the world to have taken the stamp of the desert and put it into their music; Grails and Six Organs of Admittance have also done it (and done it well) but never quite to this extent. As the album's hazy outro, 'Exodus Due West' shimmers and pulls back into the centre of the desert, you can't help but feel as though this insane sunstroke has finally backed off and you're left stranded, isolated, alone still baking like a lizard on a rock, vultures circling overhead with sand fucking everywhere.

When it comes to the world of psychedelic, doom and even hints of drone, Transatlantic Rat’s Atom has a pretty good idea what they’re doing. Mixing thoroughly fuzzed the hell out tunes with occasional spots of clarinet, harp and even a saxophone, resulting in a doomed out monster meets John Zorn feeling. And that kicks ass, for real. Their part of this cassette, side A, has two tracks of awesome riffs and madness. ‘Point of No Return’ being the more doom-laden track and ‘Rise Reverse In The Middle Of Nowhere’ putting you mind in a haze. Top it all off with classic doom vocals and howls and voila, you got yourself a badass experience.

Now for Bird Eye, side B!! Make no mistake though, these are not B-side tracks. With a slightly simpler take on doom and drone than their friends on the other side, Bird Eye is simply about the fucking riff. The crushing, fuzzed out, slow and to the point riff. ‘Hivemind’ is a downtrodden bowel shaker. Vocals that stay in the tortured singing region really top it off to. The song has a very strong demeanor to it. ‘The Parting of The Ways’ opens with almost a solid four minutes of feedback screaming drone noise, before giving way to an even heavier mid section: Vocals and riffs sounding even more angry and spit-in-the-eye-ish. Once it all slows down, they leave the way they came in, and I’d have it no other way.

If you’re a fan of doom laced with drone and spots of psychedelic tones, then this is entirely for you. I’ve listened to this about eight times already, and I found myself pulled in by the music, just bowing my head to the riff. I recommend you head over to our friends at Tartarus Records and grab this limited to 100 pieces cassette before it’s sold out. And while your there, check out their other great releases, and maybe even buy me a shirt since you love my writings. I wear a size Large.

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Fell Voices fall into a grey area as far as a genre label goes. What can be an album reviewer’s worst nightmare, I find to be perfect. I can throw plenty of names at this album whilst trying to describe it in a nutshell. But I’d be wrong in doing so. My first listen was all “this is great black metal”. The next had me droning out and feeling weightless. Another shot had me pissed of because of the somewhat lo-fi sound. But then it all just made sense. I started hearing things all together, and suddenly all three of the explanations I just gave, were worthless.

The heart and pain coming from screamed, and I mean SCREAMED, vocals is harrowing, spine-chilling stuff. Not in the sense of fear, but in the sense of pain; looking at yourself in a mirror and hurting from everything. The drums on each track (3 of them) a nonstop pulsing of your heart as you wake from a nightmare, or can’t sleep because the world is falling apart around you. The guitars and bass playing weaves of floating melodies both gorgeous and like an ice pick in the spine at the same time. You put all of this together and spread it over an hour, and you've got the absolutely haunting, terrifying, beautiful, gorgeous insanity that is Regnum Saturni. My word here really don’t do this album any justice, this is but a feeble attempt. This has to be heard to be believed.

Regnum Saturni is available through Antithetic Records and Gilead Media in the US, limited to 750 2xLP vinyl copies. In the UK it can be found on Vendetta Records with a laser etched D-side, on 2xLP as well.

Don’t miss out on this experience. For your ears, and soul, this needs to be heard.

There are all types of folk, in music that is...from the classic mountain people of the Carter Family to the toy folk of Mumford and Sons, it is music of the people and tells a story. Bright Sunny South belongs to the former group  here and although the album title conjures up images of happy tales, this is far removed from what you get.

This is gothic folk which includes more than a hint of David Lynchian soundscapes within it. Not an easy listen, this is one for the early hours of Sunday morning. Even then you may need to keep a light on. Sam Amidon is a serious guy and this is a serious album.

A tad over the top actually, but Bright Sunny South is not easy going. Highly influenced by mountain folk, Amidon delivers songs in his low drawl with barely a guitar as accompaniment. This   also takes excursions into oddness as ‘He's Taken My Feet’, for example, ends in a feedback drenched squall of guitars. It is moment like these, like the saxophone blast on ‘I Wish I Wish’ which takes you by surprise which keep an interest throughout.

Some of it is just dark, ‘Pharoah’ is plain difficult, but this music has always been about the stories being told. Amidon likes to sing about classic tropes and a series of covers accentuates his love of old time music. Take ‘Streets of Derry’ which is brought into the 21^st century but still retains a rustic charm.

Rustic is a great word for this album and you will have fun exploring the many nooks and crannys. It loses its “pace” at times but has enough to pull you back in. If you have an hour spare, give in to Amidon's world and picture yourself on a lonesome porch in the Appalachian mountains. It's good for the soul.

When Kylesa are releasing a new album it's time to sit up and pay attention. Few other bands have truly evolved from album to album as the Savannah group. Spiral Shadow I felt was always going to be a difficult album to follow. Seemingly not a concern for Kylesa judging by the freedom and progression shown on Ultraviolet.

From reading press interviews and speaking to Phillip Cope myself, I was expecting this album to take time to soak in. With talk being of a more textured sound and not as many obvious "rockers". This is true, to an extent but such is the quality I was hooked from the beginning. I once briefly discussed long gone band, The God Machine with Laura Pleasants. Fittingly she described them as "music you can feel". Kylesa have this effect and there's plenty to "feel" on Ultraviolet. Instead of duplicating Spiral Shadow's expansive and soaring sound, it's a more introspective and subtle approach. Despite this, it is also probably their most melodic, infectious and psychedelic work. It's testament to their writing ability  that Ultraviolet is dark in tone and theme while also musically uplifting. It may take some by surprise, requiring time to take in but there's no denying its Kylesa.

The album was written during dark periods for both Laura Pleasants and Phillip Cope. It deals with loss in various ways, but at times the dark lyrics are delivered with sugary coating. 'Quicksand' for instance with its lyrics of  "I'm choking on my own blood", over one of their most melodic riffs ever. Laura's voice is dripping in harmony, hiding the underlying themes of desolation and despair.

In fact Ultraviolet sees Laura develop even further as a vocalist. At times totally blissful melodic clean vocals dominate, proving her range has grown impressively. Phillip Cope, also expands himself further, although this seems a constant growth. Rather than dropping loads of obvious riffs, there is greater use of synths, thermin and experimental sounds.

It all makes for a different sounding Kylesa album, but a still utterly brilliant one. It's hard to pick tracks to highlight as all contain moments of genius, wonder or awe. However, it's the more experimental tracks  that contain some of the best moments. 'Steady Breakdown' is a Frankenstein's monster of varying heaviness and tempo. The main returning riff also brings to mind the late Randy Rhodes. It's a beautiful, powerful and infectious track that I could listen to for days. 'Long Gone' has a twisted melody, and descends into "drum jamming" along with some understated guitar brilliance.

Ultraviolet is an album that flows from start to finish and works best as a whole work. Having said that all songs here could stand strong individually also. Such was its impact I listened to nothing else for a whole weekend. Only relenting to listen to more back catalogue Kylesa. 'Unspoken' brings a John Carpenter feel to the intro, leading to swirls of rhythm and a galloping finale. 'Low Tide'  has an almost The Cure feel to it, drenched in 80's gothic tones; its chorus, infectious and compelling.

The best is saved for last, 'Drifting' is possibly the greatest thing they have recorded. Waves of ambience give way to a mesmerising track of psychedelic brilliance. It's like being submerged in a sensory deprivation tank and pumped full of every hallucinogenic known to man. Simply beautiful and stunning.

Ultraviolet is a glorious journey through light and dark, a psychedelic explosion of colour and sound. Enter with an open mind and prepare to be led in new directions.

Read Phil's interview with Philip Cope here.

Sheffield has offered us many things over the years: Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me The Horizon, Def Leppard, Joe Cocker and Pulp (to name a few). Add to that list Hiram with their latest release See The Thing Within The Thing. So how does this album (and band) match up to that list.

‘See The Thing’ opens the album with a sense of foreboding; strings flap against fret boards with a gut wrenching rumble as if Black Sabbath have taken a load of mogadon, eaten a load of and been left alone in a graveyard (with recording gear obviously). It’s tantalising, you are waiting for a riff so enormous to kick in that you can barely contain yourself. Then the song ends. Bugger. Still this can only be the start of something great!!

Unfortunately, it’s not. That opening track essentially sums up the album. It has potential but never realises this potential. But I don’t want you to think that this is a record without merits. Far from it. There is much to savour here (musically) both ‘Winner Dies Last (Aspiration)’ and ‘Respiration (Within The Thing)’ take their cues from Tool with the latter song featuring some nice melodic interludes. ‘Conspiration’ has some throat wrenching vocals and a genuinely well placed jam section that feels jazzy in nature, almost like the first fingers of dawn light after a night of bad dreams. Then some bizarrely Beach Boys-esque “bop bop” backing vocals appear before things ramp back up again with discordant guitars and ominous low notes ending with a riff that you wish had shown up earlier in the song it's that good!

The final track is a 17 minute epic, ‘It Can’t Come Quick Enough’. There’s a great start with sung vocals and melodic music reminiscent of the wistfulness of The Kinks. Some very jazzy chords and some great solo runs up and down the fret board before the lyrics end at 4 min mark. This means that we have 13 mins of instrumental ahead. It does take some interesting turns and certainly evokes the spirit of Zappa….. but…. it all feels slightly superfluous. Perhaps I just don't get the vibe or whatever but it felt tacked on like an afterthought. The song would have been better split into two separate tracks and could have had a third instrumental song on the album. It never seems to go anywhere, there's no building towards a release

And this is essentially the problem I have with this entire release. It’s very, very samey. You have a low tuned sludge riff then a bit of melodic jazzy jams and that’s it really. Dynamics in a song aren't just loud-then-quiet-then-loud again. Varying the pace and intensity of the music makes for a more engaging album otherwise it just drags and the last thing a band with a 17 min song wants is bored listeners. There is clearly great musicianship in this band and they have the potential to do great things. But on this album it’s a case of close, but no cigar.