Doomriders - Grand Blood

Doomriders, a four piece from Boston, Massachusetts, share members with Converge and Old Man Gloom and make it clear that they know their way around musical instruments. Their second album, Darkness Comes Alive, sounded like a dumbed down version of Converge with doom vocals, but with innovative originality and spirit. But their third release on Deathwish, Grand Blood, puts the potential of novelty in the past and fails to progress.

A chaotic intro track slides into the first song, "New Pyramids," which leaves much to be desired. It follows a path towards some totally exciting explosion and instead farts out dust. The first song on an album can often make an impression on the listener for the rest of the album, so it's important to have a good opener. "New Pyramids" just doesn't do it. The next song, "Mankind" brings a little more hope with its melodic riffage and charm, sounding similar to "Come Alive" off Darkness Comes Alive. But ultimately, it fails to reach full potential due to boring passages that gobble up the cooler repeating harmonies.

What I did notice that was different about this album, compared to their last, is that this sounds more like a hardcore punk album than a metal album. But the sound is more polished than their previous albums, especially Black Thunder, which makes Grand Blood seem kind of stiff. Their music is based on hardcore in some way or another and the new sound makes sense, but it also detracts from their previous, gripping rock and roll sound hooks. The heavy metal mixed with a rock and roll edge gave them a powerful sound, but it's all lessened on Grand Blood by odd, less exciting music.

There are definitely some redeeming moments throughout the album, such as on "We Live In Shadows," the low, guttural vocals, pounding drums, and howling guitars bring life and breath to the album, if only for a short time. "Gone to Hell" starts with some interestingly different vocals, more of singing rather than screaming. It sounds way more like a rock song than anything else, and it's really good. It's also a track that sounds a little lost on this album, but by splitting up some songs into a hardcore style and some into a rock and roll style, they have at least evolved in some way. I'm a sucker for evolution in bands, and I will applaud them for their efforts, but the album could have used a little more work. Grand Blood stands to be a little less grand a little more generic than expected.

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Fuzz - Fuzz

Let's face it, Ty Segall is fun. If you don't know who he is, the dude is in about eight bands(including Fuzz), plays drums, guitar, sings and gets progressively more creative. So it's no surprise that Fuzz, the most recent endeavor of Segall, with Charlie Moothart(who has played on a few Ty Segall band tracks as well as many other various projects) on guitar and Roland Cosio(who google will tell you is a keyboard) on bass, are a serious powerhouse. In The Red Recordings released this first album from these stoner/garage rock mashers and the music clearly displays precise musicianship and a tight grasp on the world of making simple riffs interesting. Together, these star gazers blast fuzzed out, psychedelic goodness that gives their name a proper meaning.

The first track, and probably one of the best, "Earthen Gate," opens up with moaning guitars. A soft riff brings the song into a slow groove, drums and bass joining in, and progresses onwards. "Hide your eyes, ride your lies, and deceive. They must believe!" screams Segall as "Earthen Gate" continues at an upbeat  pace until its end. Ty Segall has an oddly specific sound at some times. Perhaps it's his love of the 3/4 time signature, or perhaps he just thinks better in 3/4. Either way, it works really well. "Whats In My Head?" showcases the band energy with a chorus that ineveitably makes you want to physically jump around the room singing. We all know you do anyways, so why not see whats in Segalls head?  "Raise," one of the catchier songs on the album, starts with twangy guitars and grooves into a cosmos of rock and roll splendor. Other notable tracks, such as "One" and "Preacher," have and old school rock and metal feel, respectively, but both also include break downs that mimic faster punk rock. The combo is interesting and they bring it together effortlessly.

As a stoner rock band, this release definitely deserves some praise. Stoner rock usually stays within a niche, and without fully escaping, Fuzz have stepped out and brought new influences in to give the music creative life and appeal to more people.

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Russian Circles - Memorial

Geneva was not a bad album, but Russian Circles' sound didn't quite become polished until the release of Empros in 2011. They mixed a brutally heavy post metal, atmosphere and sheer power in a way that they had not done before. This new sound resonated with metal fans around the world, and Russian Circles had found their style. But the release of their newest album, Memorial, seems to swerve in yet another new different direction. Instead of constant raw power, the Chicago three-piece decided to incorporate more ambiance, which really adds some variety to their sound, for the better. If they were to repeat Empros, this album would have gone straight down hill.

Memorial offers a brilliant mix of both spacey, psychedelic songs, as well as ground-shaking monsters that borrow power from Empros but have an advanced sound. "Memoriam" starts the album out on a sort of sorrowful note. The track is acoustic with violins and serves as a gentle intro for what is about to come. Then "Deficit" slaps you with a slow and steady hand, reminding you just who you are dealing with. Eerie guitars and steady drums lift the song as the intensity builds and subsides rhythmically. When I say their album has variety, it not only has different sounding songs, but the album itself is set up in such a way that the songs blend perfectly when played in order. 

"Cheyenne" and the pure post-rocky goodness of "1777" offer a soft break between all of the madness. But when it's time to pummel, like "Burial" and "Lebaron," Russian Circles certainly step up to the plate. One of the best tracks is the last track, "Memorial," featuring Chelsea Wolfe. Wolfe is in her own band, appropriately titled Chelsea Wolfe, who play haunting, creepy, music. Wolfe's vocals totally alters the sound of Russian Circles, and in an awesome way. The airiness and fluidity of her soft, serene, vocals appropriately accompany the engulfing tranquility of the music. The track ends the album on a solid note, and exemplifies the skill of their musicianship and flexabiity.

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King Khan - Idle No More

Idle No More, the 8th studio album from eccentric Berlin psychedelic garage/soul rockers King Khan and the Shrines, is an album rooted in powerful emotional feelings. As the full name of the band is The Supreme Genius of King Khan and His Sensational Shrines, it is clear that they don't take themselves too seriously. Khan often wears little clothing during his wildly unconventional performances. But this album has more of an psychological element than you might be lead to believe. It's a generally upbeat album, but it was derived from the overall pain and sorrow that had built up inside Khan during hard times. Three close friends of Khans passed away within a few years of each other and it took him five years to muster up the strength to release a new album. But damn, did he come back with bang.

This album features trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and enough soul to impress James Brown. Every song has it's own style and groove. "Born to Die" appropriately opens the album with a short intro and gets straight to the point. This song can give you a pretty good feel for the energy of the album in general. "Thorn in her Pride" also has an awesome intro, and from the first snare fil, the song launches like a rocket headed for the moon. There are even some neat little 'shooby-do-ops' for fans of old blues and soul. The music is generally fun and catchy with comical lyrics and a certain air of confidence. The vitality of each song grows as the album progresses. Tracks like "Luckiest Man" triumphantly blast loud horns and smooth bass lines.

Songs range from lively to humorous and even downright sad. Particularly the two middle tracks really halt the horn train. "Darkness" portrays the melancholy of Khan while also providing female-sounding vocals that definitely fooled me. The gloom tune seems to be an expression of Khans despair and a way to help him move past his troubles. "Pray for Lil" then brings a slightly happier build-up which aids in picking the album back up without making being too choppy. After little hesitation they snap back into funk-mode and finish the album strong. A few of the later tracks are actually dedicated to some of Khans lost friends. Known among them is "So Wild" dedicated to crazy party-rocker Jay Reatard. 

"I Got Made" brings some positivity to the album's end with intense passion. 'I'll get paid, I'll get laid, I'll get made into a man one of these days' sings Khan coolly, almost as if he really were just waiting to get laid, paid, and made at that very moment, but with patience. This is as much of a track promoting positivity as it is a song that shows the impatience involved in being positive. The final track, "Of Madness I Dream," definitely differs from the rest of the entire album, a trend I seem to be seeing a lot in bands nowadays. It's really slow, acoustic and pretty depressing, but in a good way. It ends the album on a solemn note, and it's nice little come down an album filled with spirit and pep. 

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Jacuzzi Boys - Jacuzzi Boys

Jacuzzi Boys, a garage/psych rock band, recently released their dreamy self-titled album, Jacuzzi Boys. While their last album Glazin had some good material, and even a video of lip-syncing vaginas to accompany one song, Jacuzzi Boys is the latest and greatest offering from the Miami trio. This new album is jam-packed with wild, lively tunes. Interestingly enough, the boys have Iggy Pop to thank for much of their fame. He said some kind words and helped spread the word of their existence, saying that the name sucks but the music has spirit. Though the name was originally a joke and something that just kind of stuck according to Bassist Danny Gonzales, Guitarist Gabriel Alcala and drummer Diego Monasteri joined Gonzales to make the dream of Jacuzzi Boys come alive. Together, they have conceived psych-filled albums with ultra catchy songs and unrelentingly groovy bass licks. The pure simplicity of Jacuzzi Boys makes their sound really stand out.

“Be My Prism” opens the albums on a great note. From the introduction of the keys, to the intro of the awesomely intrusive bass line, these guys lay down a hook from the start. 'Wake me up, Wake me up,' chimes a stargazing vocalist as the chorus lightly sweeps you away. The vocals are really clean and melodic, and I admire the simplicity of the vocals and guitar solos. The lucidity of the solos and vocals combined create a inviting atmosphere. “Rubble” has a slightly more aggressive feel and a faster pace overall. It’s a nice track to stick in the middle of the album to help loosen the cluster of unadulterated psychedelics going on. 

“Guillotine” is an interesting track, featuring some prime use of electronics. It starts out slow and gloomy but eventually picks up the pace and turns into an upbeat beast of a song, full of emotion and soul. “Hot Line” and “Domino Moon” are classic examples garage rock. Each have memorable lyrics and equally as memorable accompanying melodies with smooth electronic background filler. “Ultraglide,” perhaps the most celestial song on the album, also serves as one of the better. The relaxed feel of this song settles the album down nicely as the last track and it ultra glides you back to earth after an airy trip.

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Pelican - Forever Becoming

Both the title and the feel of Pelican’s new album Forever Becoming can be interpreted in different ways. I see it in two different ways. The first being that Pelican are "forever becoming" your favorite band with each new album. Though this may be true for some, I think the album title best describes Pelican in the sense of flattery. On each album they bring different elements and attractive ideas to the table. Their sound is forever becoming of them. But by this point in their history, it’s really no surprise. While seeing them live at Maryland Deathfest XII, I could feel the power of their musicianship the connection that they all had with each other.

On Ataraxia/Taraxis, the last album featuring guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec, the boys were constantly changing moods and tempo. Songs were upbeat and energetic, quiet and acoustic, and overall atmospheric. They have since recently added guitarist Dallas Thomas and developed a sound that should be vaguely familiar to fans of Pelican. On Forever Becoming, Pelican revert back to their heavy ways. The huge sound on Forever Becoming, though it may not have been expected, works out really well and uniquely fits their sound. As Pelican have evolved, their music has really morphed into something beautiful, and their monumental sound is always changing to stay fresh. Their more post-rocky stuff on What We All Come To Need wasn't bad by any means, but it’s good to see them leaning back toward a progressively heavier sound. Their 2003 release Australasia still has some of the heaviest, riff-filled tracks on a post-rock album to this day. Songs like “Immutable Dusk” and “The Tundra” on Forever Becoming echo the thick, bold sounds of Australasia while also making room for small pockets of ambience. Other tracks have a quieter and darker moods. The majestic simplicity of "Terminal” brings chills and sounds similar to the song “Ataraxia” off of Ataraxia/Taraxis in it's lofty ways. “Perpetual Dawn” calmly ends an album of sheer heaviness on a gentle note, a good move on their parts. In addition, it’s pretty neat that they decided to start the album with “Immutable Dusk” and end it with “Perpetual Dawn.” Pelican have once again created an album that we will long remember.

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Mourning Cloak - No Visible Light

Mourning Cloak, a drone/doom metal from Greensboro, NC, might remind you of that other drone/doom band from that other place in that other city. Yeah, there is no real difference. Except perhaps that Mourning Cloak have somehow exploded within the metal scene blasting music that is nothing short of generic and underwhelming. The guys in the band are really cool, and I have met and talked with a few of them at a few different junctions. Considering they share members of Graf Orlock and Torch Runner, musicianship is really not the problem with this album. The problem is the amount of doom metal bands who have already tried to do this exact same thing. 
I can’t stand to see an album get overhyped when it would fail with another band. That's exactly what this album did. They took the unexciting music and made people excited about it. I don’t know if they are popular because of their previous bands or if people just really love the same old stuff, but I just can’t get down with it. Listening to the self-titled track on their album No Visible Light, I find myself constantly losing attention. Guitars drone uneventfully as drums trudge on through thick, nasty vocals(that are actually pretty badass sometime.) But overall, there is just nothing catchy of hooking about it. Boring drone being done uneventfully. Maybe the sound just isn’t quite developed enough yet. Though I love simplistic music, there are definitely limits. You have to be simplistic in your own way and create your own style so that you don't lose the focus of your audience, or of your on muscianship. Sure, I like bands that many would call generic, and even downright shitty, but these bands were the ones who started it or the ones who know how to continue in a new direction. There needs to be evolution in music. Evolution is key.

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