Friday, September 30, 2016

'Brown Acid: The Third Trip' compilation of rare 60s-70s proto-metal singles shares new track at Clrvynt


"A great distillation of what the underground was capable of back in the day, and still feels as fresh and poignant now." -- Clrvynt


L.A. label RidingEasy Records and retailer/label Permanent Records premiere a new track from the third edition in their celebrated compilation series of long-lost vintage 60s-70s proto-metal and stoner rock singles, Brown Acid today via Clrvynt.com. Hear and share Chook's stomping 1971 single "Cold Feet" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud). 


Brooklyn Vegan recently shared the song "Scream (It's Eating Me Alive)" by Grand Theft, available to hear and share HERE. (Direct Soundcloud). 

Dangerous Minds. previously hosted the full album stream of the predecessor, Brown Acid: The Second Trip released back on April 20th, 2016. Hear/share the entire album HERE. (Direct Soundcloud)

About Brown Acid: The Third Trip:

"Screaming out of the gate, here's the third volume of the critically acclaimed Brown Acid series! We curate these heavy compilations so the heads can hear the best songs they've never heard. As usual, this batch of tracks is off the rails. It's an absolute tragedy that these cuts aren't in heavy rotation on classic rock radio...yet.

"We continue down the wormhole of hard rock, heavy psych, and proto-metal here on The Third Trip with a set of tunes so obscure they can't be seen without a third eye. Most of these tracks were recorded in shack-sized studios, privately pressed for promotional purposes, and tossed out like last night's half empties only to later be discovered to be half-full, if not overflowing with greatness. The majority of these tracks are from the good ol' US of A with two exceptions, Ash-labelmate Australians, Chook, and the mighty Limeys, Factory.

"We won't take full credit for it, but we're sorry to say that these types of 45s have skyrocketed in value over the last little while and some of the records included in this volume have only changed hands a handful of times on the collector market. Although it's a bummer for the pocketbook, we say "Hell Yeah!" it's about time these rarities have become recognized as the priceless artifacts that they are.

"Unlike many labels doing compilations of rare dusties, we've actually gone to the trouble to contact the bands included here for permission to use their material. It was a long and arduous task to say the least, but it's the way it should be done. And we paid 'em! So sleep easy knowing that no one was ripped off in the making of this record.

"As they say, first is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the hairy chest. So take a shot of whiskey, shotgun a beer, and put some fuzz in between your nipples with the hairiest Trip you've taken yet. You won't be sorry you did."


Some of the best thrills of the Internet music revolution is the ability to find extremely rare music with great ease. But even with such vast archives to draw from, quite a lot of great songs have gone undiscovered for nearly half a century -- particularly in genres that lacked hifalutin arty pretense. Previously, only the most extremely dedicated and passionate record collectors had the stamina and prowess to hunt down long forgotten wonders in dusty record bins - often hoarding them in private collections, or selling at ridiculous collector's prices. Legendary compilations like Nuggets, Pebbles, ad nauseum, have exhausted the mines of early garage rock and proto-punk, keeping alive a large cross-section of underground ephemera. However, few have delved into and expertly archived the wealth of proto-metal, pre-stoner rock tracks collected on Brown Acid: The Third Trip. 

Lance Barresi, co-owner of L.A./Chicago retailer Permanent Records has shown incredible persistence in tracking down a stellar collection of rare singles from the 60s and 70s for the growing compilation series. Partnered with Daniel Hall of RidingEasy Records, the two have assembled a selection of songs that's hard to believe have remained unheard for so long. 

"I essentially go through hell and high water just to find these records," Barresi says. "Once I find a record worthy of tracking, I begin the (sometimes) extremely arduous process of contacting the band members and encouraging them to take part. Daniel and I agree that licensing all the tracks we're using for Brown Acid is best for everyone involved," rather than simply bootlegging the tracks. When all of the bands and labels haven't existed for 30-40 years or more, tracking down the creators gives all of these tunes a real second chance at success. 

"There's a long list of songs that we'd love to include," Barresi says. "But we just can't track the bands down. I like the idea that Brown Acid is getting so much attention, so people might reach out to us."


Brown Acid: The Third Trip will be available everywhere on LP, CD and download on October 31st, 2016 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available for digital (with immediate download of the first single) at Bandcamp, physical pre-orders at RidingEasy Records. 






Artist: Various Artists

Album: Brown Acid: The Third Trip 
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: October 31st, 2016

01. Grand Theft "Scream (It’s Eating Me Alive)" (STREAM)
02. Chook "Cold Feet" (STREAM)
03. Lindholm Brothers "No Time For Last Goodbyes"
04. Diehard "Heartbreak" 
05. Blown Free "The Wizard" 
06. Factory "Time Machine"
07. Inside Experience "Be On My Way"
08. Cold Swett "Quit Your Foolin'"
09. Elliott Black "Highway Song"
10. First State Bank "Before You Leave"
11. Flash Beverage "The Train"


Artist: Various Artists
Album: Brown Acid: The Second Trip
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: April 20th, 2016

01. Ash "Midnight Witch" (STREAM)
02. Sweet Crystal "Warlords"
03. Raving Maniac "Rock and Roll Man"
04. Crossfield "Take It" (STREAM)
05. Spiny Norman "Bell Park Loon" (Unreleased)
06. Glass Sun "Silence of the Morning"
07. Volt Rush Band "Love To You"
08. Buck "Long Hot Highway"
09. Iron Knowledge "Show Stopper" (STREAM)
10. Sonny Hugg "Daybreak"



Artist: Various Artists
Album: Brown Acid: The First Trip  ALBUM STREAM
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: August 11th, 2015

01. Zeke's "Box"
02. Snow "Sunflower"
03. Tour "One of the Bad Guys"
04. Zebra "Wasted"
05. Bob Goodsite "Faze 1"
06. Raw Meat "Stand-By Girl"
07. Punch "Deathhead"
08. Bacchus "Carry My Load"
09. Lenny Drake "Love Eyes (Cast Your Spell On Me)"
10. The Todd "Mystify Me"
11. Josefus "Hard Luck"



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Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Holy Serpent streaming entire forthcoming album ahead of release at Metal Injection


"Holy Serpent incorporates a lot of great riffs, off-kilter tempo changes, and buckets brimming with originality constantly poured into its songwriting." -- Metal Injection

"One of our favorite doom releases of 2016." -- CvltNation


Australian heavy psych band Holy Serpent are streaming their entire forthcoming sophomore album on RidingEasy Records ahead of release starting today via Metal Injection. Hear and share Temples HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.)

The concept of "skate-rock" has been around for many years, but it has never been embodied as well as on Temples, the new album by Holy Serpent. While the band members are just casual skateboarders themselves, one might be tempted to think that skating has subtly influenced the band's sound. Not only are there the elements of 70s hard rock crossed with punk values and energy. But, the music itself is like riding a skateboard: slow grooving passages can shift on a dime into fast thrill-ride riffs. There's an exhilarating freedom of movement and unpredictability to the sound.

In the short time since their self-titled RidingEasy debut in mid-2015, Melbourne, Australia's Holy Serpent have gained a lot of attention for their rather punk version of heavy psych and metal. Fittingly, there's a strong vibe of early Soundgarden, Saint Vitus and Kyuss to Temples in that it's undeniably heavy, but also clever in its experimentation with subtle tempo shifts, multiple vocal effects and other production techniques. But it's still more Sabotage than Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. 

Temples is heavier in tone than the first album, and also more sonically rich and aggressive. The 5-song, 44-minute album finds vocalist/guitarist Scott Penberthy, guitarist Nick Donoughue, bassist Dave Bartlett and drummer Danny Leo (new drummer Lance Leembrugen has replaced Leo since recording to complete the live lineup) expanding the hooks while simultaneously taking listeners on a rigorous ride. 

"We've found playing slow all the time got a tad boring so we've mixed it up a bit with tempo changes and added more parts to each song to make them sort of flow like a story," Penberthy says. "The challenge was making sure it still flowed as it should. 'All killer no filler' was a bit of a motto this time around when writing the songs."

Album opener "Purification by Fire" emerges slowly from a primordial swamp of a reversed gong crash, synth swells, guitar feedback and lightly plucked bass notes before it all coalesces into a driving but slow-burn riff that spans the length of the fretboard as the drum patterns also subtly shift and slide underneath. It's a brilliant effect, albeit one you might miss if you're not paying attention. "Bury Me Standing" launches full throttle with a raging guitar solo over a driving riff/rhythm before a quick about-face into a march as Penberthy's effect-soaked vocals wail above the proceedings. The song builds slowly upon its elements until Penberthy howls an impassioned plea, "bury me standing, I will not forgive you." Album centerpiece "Toward the Sands" further pushes the tempo changes and sonic experimentation to great effect as the song effortlessly turns on a dime from fast rager to doom, while all sounding cohesive and melodically infectious.  Album closer "Sativan Harvest" is an epic nearly 12-minute multi-part journey, built around a central blues motif that drifts into a massive haze of droning guitars set to fat rhythm pickup tone as it swells then recedes, only to restructure into a mutated version of the original motif that eventually abruptly ends with violin, cello and synths in a slow fade into the ether. 

Temples will be available on LP, CD and download on September 30th, 2016 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available for physical here and digital here. 




Artist: Holy Serpent
Album: Temples
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: September 30, 2016

01. Purification By Fire
02. Bury Me Standing
03. Toward The Sands
04. The Black Stone
05. Sativan Harvest















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Friday, September 23, 2016

Chicago trio Pamphleteers (ex-The Dials, The Returnables) debut album streaming in full, inspired, catchy post-punk


"One word to sum up The Ghost That Follows? Raw." -- Speak Into My Good Eye

"An undeniable piece of rock perfection." -- Music & Riots


Chicago trio Pamphleteers stream their full length debut The Ghost That Follows in its entirety starting today. Hear and share the full album via New Noise Magazine, Soundcloud and Bandcamp.

Pamphleteers also celebrate the album release with a hometown show on Monday, September 26th at The Empty Bottle. See current dates below. 

 The band spoke candidly about the tragic events that brought them together and gave a rousing in-studio appearance earlier this week on Chicago's NPR radio affiliate WBEZ. Hear & share the entire interview/performance HERE. 

Speak Into My Good Eye recently premiered album track "L.A. L.A." alongside a shining review HERE. Music & Riots Magazine launched the album title track HERE. And, Impose Magazine previously shared the anthemic single, "Shivering" HERE.

Pamphleteers have been unleashing their shimmering post-punk assault since 2012. After debuting with a split EP, the band released its first full length today. The Ghost That Follows overflows with fantastic hooks and urgency reminiscent of X-Ray Spex, Bikini Kill, Young Marble Giants and The Gun Club. 

As a group, Pamphleteers are steeped in history and friendship. Having played in such bands as 
The Dials (No Fun Records/Latest Flame), Telenovela, and The Returnables (Jettison Music/Dirtnap), bassist/vocalist Rebecca Crawford, drummer Geoff Atkinson, and guitarist Jonathan Ben-Isvy have played side by side, if not together, for more than a decade, and their friendship goes back years earlier. When event conspired to find Crawford and Ben-Isvy simultaneously bandless for the first time in their years of friendship, they naturally looked to each other to fulfill their musical compulsion. 

As Pamphleteers, Crawford, Atkinson, and Ben-Isvy darkly smash anything and everything that excite them into the rock ’n’ roll caldron. The result is a sort of psychedelic new wave delivered with the punk urgency that rests at the trio’s core. Angular, melodic guitar, repetitively grooving bass lines, massive, yet danceable drumbeats, and dark yet soaring vocals imbue Pamphleteers with an inescapably hook laden urgency. 

The Ghost That Follows is available on LP and download as of September 23rd, 2016. 


PAMPHLETEERS LIVE:
09/26 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
10/29 Madison, WI @ Mickey's Tavern 



Artist: Pamphleteers
Album: The Ghost That Follows
Label: Pamphleteers Music
Release date: September 23rd, 2016

01) Shivering
02) L.A. L.A.
03) Hit It Clean
04) Bloodshot
05) Ghost That Follows
06) My Lipstick Stain 
07) Every Second
08) Just Your Style
09) Canonized
10) It's So much More










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Thursday, September 22, 2016

Alabama Deathwalk premiere first single from forthcoming album, El Paso emo/indie work of songwriter Eric Reed



El Paso's Alabama Deathwalk premiere the first song from their forthcoming full length debut Steep Hills today via Brooklyn Vegan. Hear and share the gorgeous single, "Freaky" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud).


The band just recently completed a round of Southwestern shows with Jim Ward (At the Drive-In, Sparta) and takes to the road again in October in support of the album. Please see current dates below.

 The geographic intersection of the ghosts of yesteryear and the electric hum of modernity is at the forefront the music of Eric Reed. For the past eight-and-a-half years, El Paso native Reed has worked under the moniker Alabama Deathwalk. Once a disciple to the heavier corners of prog-rock, Reed went through a West Texas rebirth as a singer-songwriter. His emphasis shifted from complex instrumentation to in-depth narratives—from riffs to lyrics. And here in the mountains of the Southwest, 700 miles from LA and 760 miles from the Texas/Louisiana border, Reed has spent nearly a decade honing his craft, occasionally recruiting friends to round out the project into a full band, and solidifying his reputation as one of the region’s premier songwriters.

While Alabama Deathwalk harbors vestiges of Americana traditions—acoustic guitar underpinnings, forlorn ballads, stripped down production—the music made by Reed sounds distinctly modern. Western twang has been excised in favor of the electric austerity of Weakerthans and Low. The folk parables of old country have been replaced by the kind of stark vignettes uttered by Sufjan Stevens or John Darnielle. Reed doesn’t sing about shooting a man over a lovely barmaid, but he opens the song “Friends” with the admission that he’s “lost three friends in the last two years.” El Paso may no longer be the lawless Wild West, but the undercurrent of death is still present.

Every city has its unsung troubadours, but with regional shows supporting artists like Built To Spill, Sleepercar, Deer Tick, and Porches under his belt, Reed is already pollinating his craft outside of the downtown crowd. And with a new album in the works and an upcoming tour dates with Jim Ward (At The Drive-In, Sparta) on the calendar, it’s only a matter of time before Alabama Deathwalk passes beyond El Paso and into the greater national consciousness. 

Steep Hills will be available on CD and download on October 21st, 2016 via Bandcamp. 

ALABAMA DEATHWALK LIVE:
10/07 Tucson, AZ @ House show w/ Justin Moody
10/08 Vinton, TX @ Vinton Vibes Festival (w/ Jim Ward, The Chamanas, Part Time)
10/09 Albuquerque, NM @ Low Spirits
10/10 Colorado Springs, CO @ Welcome Fellow 
10/11 Denver, CO @ Squire Lounge
10/13 Missoula, MT @ The Palace Lounge
10/21 Phoenix, AZ @ Stinkweeds
10/22 El Paso, TX @ The Perch (upstairs of Tricky Falls) Album release party
10/29 El Paso, TX @ The Perch (w/ The Appleseed Cast)



Artist: Alabama Deathwalk
Album: Steep Hills
Label: Self-released
Release date: October 21st, 2016

01. Two Weeks
02. Freaky
03. Dallas
04. Purse
05. Friends
06. Peter
07. Rest
08. Intermission
09. Confessions Pt. Two
10. All At Once









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Night Club premiere first track from forthcoming album Requiem for Romance

Click image to watch video


"Brooks and Kavanaugh wisely decide to focus on catchiness above all else, which pays huge dividends. These are monster hooks that are designed to invade brains and stay inside for a long time." -- Pop Matters

"Catchy as Hell." -- Impose Magazine


L.A. synth band Night Club premiere a new single and announce the track listing and cover art to their forthcoming full length Requiem for Romance today via Crave Online. Hear and share the hook-laden track "Dear Enemy" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud). 

Following quickly on the heels of their official soundtrack release to Comedy Central's Moonbeam City (Milan Records), Night Club returns with their debut full length LP Requiem for Romance. The album sees the band moving toward a louder, more bombastic electronic sound. 

The latest single, “Dear Enemy”, embodies the darker lyrical tone of the entire LP. "It’s been a pretty rough year for us personally, so making this record was our only form of therapy,” says singer Emily Kavanaugh. “It’s the angriest, most introspective music that we’ve ever made, while still being ‘pop’ at the same time.” 

Night Club previously released three EPs: Night Club (2012), Love Casualty (2013) and Black Leather Heart (2014). In addition to writing music for Moonbeam City (featuring Rob Lowe) the band just finished composing the score for the upcoming feature film Nerdland (featuring Paul Rudd). 

Requiem for Romance will be available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Apple Music and Spotify on Friday, October 7th through Gato Blanco. 


NIGHT CLUB LIVE:
10/07 San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge - Turbo Drive (LP release show) 
10/08 Phoenix, AZ @ The Grid
10/14 Denver, CO @ Synth Prom at 1010 Workshop
10/21 Brooklyn, NY @ Trans Pecos
10/22 Newark, NJ @ QXT’s
10/30 Los Angeles, CA @ TBA
11/10 Austin,TX @ Nite School at Cheer Up Charlie's 


Artist: Night Club
Album: Requiem for Romance
Label: Gato Blanco
Release Date: October 7, 2016

01) Requiem
02) Bad Girl
03) Show It 2 Me
04) Dear Enemy
05) Psychosuperlover
06) Freak Like Me
07) Magnetic
08) Dangerous Heart
09) Pray
10) Little Token





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Friday, September 16, 2016

Chicago trio Pamphleteers (ex-The Dials, The Returnables) premiere title track from debut, inspired post-punk borne of friendship and loss


Chicago trio Pamphleteers premiere the title track from their forthcoming full length debut The Ghost That Follows today via Music & Riots Magazine. Hear and share 'Ghost That Follows" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.) The band plays an anticipated hometown album release party on September 26th at the Empty Bottle. 

Impose Magazine recently shared the anthemic single, "Shivering" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud).

Pamphleteers have been unleashing their shimmering post-punk assault since 2012. After debuting with a split EP, the band is set to release its first album on September 23rd, 2016. The Ghost That Follows overflows with fantastic hooks and urgency reminiscent of X-Ray Spex, Bikini Kill, Young Marble Giants and The Gun Club. 

As a group, Pamphleteers are steeped in history and friendship. Having played in such bands as The Dials (No Fun Records/Latest Flame), Telenovela, and The Returnables (Jettison Music/Dirtnap), bassist/vocalist Rebecca Crawford, drummer Geoff Atkinson, and guitarist Jonathan Ben-Isvy have played side by side, if not together, for more than a decade, and their friendship goes back years beyond. When event conspired to find Crawford and Ben-Isvy simultaneously bandless for the first time in their years of friendship, they naturally looked to each other to fulfill their musical compulsion. 

In a very real sense, Pamphleteers are a direct outgrowth of the 2005 intentional car crash that took the lives of Chicago musicians John Glick, Doug Meis, and Michael Dahlquist (Silkworm). Glick was the husband of Pamphleteers bassist/singer Rebecca Crawford, and Meis was her bandmate in The Dials. Glick was the closest friend and bandmate in The Returnables to Pamphleteers guitarist Jonathan Ben-Isvy. Dahlquist and Meis were friends to all of the Pamphleteers. 

Obviously, the aftermath led to tremendous pain and sadness, but also the immediate or eventual loss of their bands. Pamphleteers has been an opportunity for Becky and Jonathan to make music and find joy in playing again, and the album's songs are a reflection of the challenge to move forward after such tragic loss. 

The Ghost That Follows will be available on LP and download on September 23rd, 2016. 


PAMPHLETEERS LIVE:
09/26 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
10/29 Madison, WI @ Mickey's Tavern 



Artist: Pamphleteers
Album: The Ghost That Follows
Label: Pamphleteers Music
Release date: September 23rd, 2016

01) Shivering
02) L.A. L.A.
03) Hit It Clean
04) Bloodshot
05) Ghost That Follows
06) My Lipstick Stain 
07) Every Second
08) Just Your Style
09) Canonized
10) It's So much More










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Wednesday, September 14, 2016

The Well premiere new track from forthcoming album on RidingEasy, announce tour with Mondo Drag, Crypt Trip


Austin trio The Well premiere a new track from their anticipated forthcoming album Pagan Science today via The Obelisk. Hear and share "Drug From The Banks" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.) 

Additionally, The Well announce October tour dates in support of the album, accompanied by RidingEasy labelmates Mondo Drag as well as Crypt Trip. Please see dates below. 

Brooklyn Vegan recently premiered the song "Black Eyed Gods", available to hear and share HERE. (Direct Soundcloud). 

The Well was also recently prominently featured on The Walking Dead star's Ride with Norman Reedus TV show on AMC. Not only has the band composed and recorded the series' original theme song, they also appeared on a recent episode with Reedus, an avowed fan of the band and all things RidingEasy. 

The impressive crux of Pagan Science, the sophomore album by Austin trio The Well, is that It's a multiplicity of itself. From the band's dual male/female vocals to their transcendently timeless sounds and erudite lyrical themes, Pagan Science is crystalline in its complexity and clarity at the same time.

The Well walk an intriguing line between authentic early 70s doom/heavy psych and the more frayed-edge-of-sanity weirdness of their hometown's legendary noise rock scene, whilst also splicing in shades of chamber choir vocals, occult rock and dark folk.

Sonically, Pagan Science picks up where The Well -- bassist/vocalist Lisa Alley, guitarist/vocalist Ian Graham and drummer Jason Sullivan -- left off with their widely heralded 2014 RidingEasy debut Samsara. Here, the band's heavy psych, proto-metal sound growing evermore vast, yet more focused on hooks, and their lyrics more conceptually intricate. Part of a running thread throughout the album's introspective lyrics is the notion that the world outside of one's own mind is also a creation and reflection of the interior world of that mind. And, just like the band's sound is one thing (undeniably heavy) and simultaneously another (dark folk, blues... there's even a Crosby, Stills & Nash cover, "Guinnevere"), it's this multiplicity that makes Pagan Science such a captivating record. 

Pagan Science was recorded with producer/engineer Chico Jones at Micro Mega Studio in 2016. Jones also previously engineered the band's debut album Samsara with producer Mark Deutrom [Melvins, Sunn0)))] in 2013. Samsara, released late September 2014 was ranked the #1 debut album of 2014 by The Obelisk and widely praised in the press. Likewise, the band's intense - some even say "possessed" - live performances have earned them featured slots at Austin's Levitation Fest in 2015 & 2016, as well as tours with Kadavar, All Them Witches, Black Tusk and more. 

Pagan Science will be available on LP, CD and download on October 14th, 2016 via RidingEasy Records. 

THE WELL / MONDO DRAG / CRYPT TRIP TOUR 2016:
10/05 - Dallas, TX @ Crown & Harp*
10/07 - Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Co
10/08 - Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge
10/09 - Detroit, MI @ El Club
10/11 - Pittsburg, IL @ Spirit 
10/12 - Cincinnati, OH @ North Side Tavern*
10/13 - Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class
10/14 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Wonder Bar
10/15 - Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus
10/16 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro
10/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage
10/18 - Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
10/19 - Savannah, GA @ The Jinx*
10/20 - Altanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
10/21 - New Orleans @ Siberia
10/22 - Houston, TX @ End Hip End It Fest
10/23 - Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas (The Well LP Release Party)
10/27 - Austin, TX @ Waterloo Records Instore**
10/29 - Corpus Christie, TX @ Day of the Dead Fest**

* no Mondo Drag 
**no Mondo Drag, no Crypt Trip



Artist: The Well
Album: Pagan Science
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release date: October 14th, 2016

01. Black Eyed Gods (STREAM)
02. Forecast
03. Sky bound
04. A Pilgrimage
05. Drug From the Banks (STREAM)
06. Byzantine
07. One Nation
08. Choir of the Stars
09. Brambles
10. I Don't Believe
11. Guinevere









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Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Holy Serpent premiere new track from followup to acclaimed 2015 debut at CvltNation


"Holy Serpent incorporates a lot of great riffs, off-kilter tempo changes, and buckets brimming with originality constantly poured into its songwriting." -- Metal Injection

"One of our favorite doom releases of 2016." -- CvltNation


Australian heavy psych band Holy Serpent premiere a new track from their forthcoming sophomore album on RidingEasy Records today via CvltNation. Hear and share "Purification By Fire" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.)

Metal Injection recently shared the album song "Toward the Sands", available to hear and share HERE. (Direct Soundcloud). 

The concept of "skate-rock" has been around for many years, but it has never been embodied as well as on Temples, the new album by Holy Serpent. While the band members are just casual skateboarders themselves, one might be tempted to think that skating has subtly influenced the band's sound. Not only are there the elements of 70s hard rock crossed with punk values and energy. But, the music itself is like riding a skateboard: slow grooving passages can shift on a dime into fast thrill-ride riffs. There's an exhilarating freedom of movement and unpredictability to the sound.

In the short time since their self-titled RidingEasy debut in mid-2015, Melbourne, Australia's Holy Serpent have gained a lot of attention for their rather punk version of heavy psych and metal. Fittingly, there's a strong vibe of early Soundgarden, Saint Vitus and Kyuss to Temples in that it's undeniably heavy, but also clever in its experimentation with subtle tempo shifts, multiple vocal effects and other production techniques. But it's still more Sabotage than Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. 

Temples is heavier in tone than the first album, and also more sonically rich and aggressive. The 5-song, 44-minute album finds vocalist/guitarist Scott Penberthy, guitarist Nick Donoughue, bassist Dave Bartlett and drummer Danny Leo (new drummer Lance Leembrugen has replaced Leo since recording to complete the live lineup) expanding the hooks while simultaneously taking listeners on a rigorous ride. 

"We've found playing slow all the time got a tad boring so we've mixed it up a bit with tempo changes and added more parts to each song to make them sort of flow like a story," Penberthy says. "The challenge was making sure it still flowed as it should. 'All killer no filler' was a bit of a motto this time around when writing the songs."

Album opener "Purification by Fire" emerges slowly from a primordial swamp of a reversed gong crash, synth swells, guitar feedback and lightly plucked bass notes before it all coalesces into a driving but slow-burn riff that spans the length of the fretboard as the drum patterns also subtly shift and slide underneath. It's a brilliant effect, albeit one you might miss if you're not paying attention. "Bury Me Standing" launches full throttle with a raging guitar solo over a driving riff/rhythm before a quick about-face into a march as Penberthy's effect-soaked vocals wail above the proceedings. The song builds slowly upon its elements until Penberthy howls an impassioned plea, "bury me standing, I will not forgive you." Album centerpiece "Toward the Sands" further pushes the tempo changes and sonic experimentation to great effect as the song effortlessly turns on a dime from fast rager to doom, while all sounding cohesive and melodically infectious.  Album closer "Sativan Harvest" is an epic nearly 12-minute multi-part journey, built around a central blues motif that drifts into a massive haze of droning guitars set to fat rhythm pickup tone as it swells then recedes, only to restructure into a mutated version of the original motif that eventually abruptly ends with violin, cello and synths in a slow fade into the ether. 


Temples will be available on LP, CD and download on September 30th, 2016 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available for physical here and digital here. 




Artist: Holy Serpent
Album: Temples
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: September 30, 2016

01. Purification By Fire
02. Bury Me Standing
03. Toward The Sands
04. The Black Stone
05. Sativan Harvest















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