It wasn’t so terribly long ago that Salt Lake City slingers The Ditch and the Delta announced the US tour dates for next month alongside Rozamov and others that will precede their slot at Crucialfest in their hometown on Sept. 22, and along comes the PR wire with word that the three-piece have inked a deal to issue their debut album, Hives in Decline, through Prosthetic Records in September. Not too shabby. The record initially came out via Battleground earlier this year, and it’s streaming in full below and available to preorder in its new edition as we speak.

Like, right now. This very minute. I know it’s true because I read it in a press release and clicked the link:

Prosthetic Records Signs THE DITCH AND THE DELTA, Full-Length Album, “Hives In Decline”, Set for Re-Release on September 8, 2017

Album Engineered by Andy Patterson of SUBROSA

Prosthetic Records have announced the signing of Salt Lake City-based sludge rockers, THE DITCH AND THE DELTA. Formed in 2014 by longtime friends, Elliot Secrist, Charles Bogus and Kory Quist, the band released their 2015 EP, We Rust, to a vast array of critical acclaim. Their debut full length Hives In Decline was released on LP on Battleground records and digitally through the band’s Bandcamp page on May 12, 2017. Prosthetic Records will be re-releasing the album on compact disc and will make it available on all digital platforms on September 8th. Preorders are available here: http://smarturl.it/TDATD

The band comments on the signing, “Having been fans of many of both the current roster and alumni on Prosthetic, The Ditch couldn’t be more pleased to be on the label among such good company.”

Hives In Decline features seven tracks and was engineered by Andy Patterson of Subrosa. The album shows the band exploring into sound design sonics, as well as features a swarm of solos by Gentry Densley (Eagle Twin, Iceburn) on the song “Fuck on Asphalt”. Metal Injection recently described the album as, “a record that takes you in and allows you to revel in the madness of the genre.”

Hives In Decline track listing
1. Hives in Decline
2. Fuck on Asphalt
3. Sleeping Dogs
4. Dry Land
5. Till Body Quits
6. Mud
7. Dread Spectacle

The devil is in the details with The Ditch. The expanded harmony and tension, as well as the unique rhythms are, in part, due to Secrist’s studies and degree in Jazz Composition. The band calls their brand of sludgy/noise/doom, “Big Riff”. Employing different tunings, and modal centers, every song The Ditch writes manages to avoid many of the usual doom trappings of excessive feedback, static harmony, and pentatonic riffs. The lyrical content deals with everyday life and the constant suppression and alienation that comes with it. Three men from Mormon dominated Utah are bound to have a lot of resentment and disdain for the mono culture they exist in day to day.

They have shared the stage with Call of the Void, Lord Dying, Eagle Twin, Iceburn, The Sword, Subrosa, Kowloon Walled City, Castle, The Atlas Moth, Kayo Dot, and Dust Moth to name a few. Current tour dates are as follows:

8/15 Colorado Springs, CO @ Triple Nickel
8/16 Wichita, KS@ Barleyscorn
8/17 Wichita Falls, TX @ The Deep End.
8/18 Austin, TX @ The Lost Well
8/19 Lafayette, LA @ Boom Boom Room.
8/20 Greenville, SC @ Cabin Floor Records.
8/21 Raleigh, NC @ Slims
8/23 New York, NY @ TBA
8/24 Boston, MA @ Great Scott**
8/25 Columbus, OH @ Space Bar**
8/26 Milwaukee, WI @ Franks Power Plant
8/27 St Paul, MN @ TBA
8/30 Seattle, WA @ Fun House**
8/31 Portland, OR @ High Water Mark**
9/1 Boise, ID @ The Shredder**
9/22 Salt Lake City, UT @ Crucial Fest**.
** with Rozamov

THE DITCH AND THE DELTA is:
Elliot Secrist (guitar/vocals)
Charles Bogus (drums)
Kory Quist (bass/vocals)

www.facebook.com/theditchandthedeltaslc/
https://theditchandthedelta.bandcamp.com/
http://smarturl.it/TDATD
https://store.prostheticrecords.com/search?q=the+ditch+and+the+delta
https://www.facebook.com/prostheticrecords/

The Ditch and the Delta, Hives in Decline (2017)

The Ditch and the Delta, “Mud” live

[Click play above to stream the premiere of ‘Strange Ways’ by The Judge. Tell it to the Judge is out Aug. 4 on Ripple Music.]

Illinois heavy rock traditionalists The Judge made their first offering through Ripple Music last year with a reissue of their initially-self-released late-2014 self-titled debut. That release was initially positioned as an EP, so one might think of Tell it to the Judge as the Granite City four-piece’s proper label debut, or their first for Ripple anyhow, but either way, what matters is the band has culled together a warm collection of nine tracks drawing influences from sources classic and modern in the spirit of heavy ’10s boogie. Tell it to the Judge is a little long at just under 45 minutes for something of its style — one tends to think of boogie rock LPs in the range of 36 to 38 minutes, and that can make a difference — but the still-young lineup of standalone vocalist Tyler Swope, guitarist Dylan Jarrett, bassist Kevin Jones and drummer Evan Anderson use that time to position themselves within a burgeoning wave of next-generation American heavy boogie.

Thinking of output from groups like Slow Season, labelmates Salem’s Bend and countless others in the expansive post-Radio Moscow/Earthless West Coast sphere, or fellow Midwesterners like the frenetically progressive Cloud Catcher and the biker-grooving Bison Machine — for either of whom The Judge‘s measured pace would make an excellent tour pairing — one finds Tell it to the Judge straightforward in its intent and less geared toward weirdo culture certainly than those freaking out along the Pacific. However, in so being, they’re putting focus on craft rather than style in a way that, particularly with Swope‘s easy melodic execution of highlight choruses like those of “Strange Ways” and “Go on Home,” as well as the verses of the penultimate “Darkest Daze,” brings to mind the earlier work of Nashville’s Dirty Streets in culling modern vibes from the likes of Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin and maybe even a bit of Dio-era Sabbath (at least as regards the warning-you-against-evil-ladies perspective of “Go on Home”; see “Walk Away” for reference) thrown in for good measure.

They’re clearly still in the process of sorting out the various elements that will ultimately solidify as their own sound, but the youthful excitement they bring to side A cuts like opener “Empty Halls,” “From the Mountain” and “Changing World” gives them an edge in terms of their songwriting, as do the righteous solos of Jarrett and the blue-eyed soul of Swope, whose verses in the 6:51 centerpiece “Islands” are no less essential to conveying the ’70s-meets-now vibe than the punctuation of Anderson‘s snare — the drums sound fantastic throughout; a boon to the organic feel of the recording overall along with Jones‘ bass. The latter is of particular note in “Islands” and the also-extended “High Flyin’,” shining through in the more languid roll from beneath Jarrett‘s leads.

It’s a proven formula, and one would be remiss to leave out the clear affect European acts like Graveyard and Kadavar have had on this movement as a whole — one could argue even the title Tell it to the Judge is modeled on something like Abra Kadavar, though that German trio were hardly the first to put the name of their band in the name of their second record — but the fluidity The Judge bring to these tracks, their ease in moving between varied tempos and undercurrent of developing chemistry on the whole lend a sense of personality to the material from which it very much benefits.

Again, they’re growing, and searching out their place within the genre aesthetic, but hearing that in the upbeat stomp of “From the Mountain,” the impressively-controlled thrust of “Changing World” and the shuffling finale “Parade of Sin,” which returns from the gone-further-out blues ranging of “High Flyin'” to earthier ground, only makes Tell it to the Judge a more engaging listen. They’re inviting their audience to be a direct witness to their evolution, already in progress. And with the initial sweep of “Empty Halls,” the flow in unfolding “Islands” and the sincerely unpretentious nod of “Go on Home” — which makes up for in catchiness what its woman-done-me-wrong lyric lacks in being politically correct — they make it a simple invitation to accept.

Like many of their up-and-coming cohorts, The Judge showcase potential over staid or studied realization, but there’s already stylistic nuance to be heard in shifting tones throughout “Darkest Daze”‘s light psych-blues flourish and the swing of “Strange Ways,” and that stands as one of the most encouraging factors when one considers Tell it to the Judge‘s place in the modern sphere. They have and will continue to have their work cut out for them in cutting out a niche for their work, but while Anderson and Jarrett trace The Judge‘s founding back to 2009/2010, they still come across in these tracks like a new band, and that is something they should embrace for the vitality it implies in their delivery, which make no mistake, is very much there. Whether that will be what defines their course as a group remains to be seen, and as a result, Tell it to the Judge is all the more fun as a front-to-back classic-minded listening experience.

The Judge on Thee Facebooks

The Judge on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Click Here to Download

 

It’s easy when you’re putting one of these things together to get locked into a headspace and all of a sudden everything you’re putting next to each other kind of sounds the same, kind of blurs together. I’m immensely pleased to say that’s not at all what happened this time around. The sounds throughout vary from heavy psych to rock to proggy jams to Blaak Heat who are on their own wavelength entirely to doom and space rock and so on. It flows though. I’m really happy with how it flows.

That includes the second hour, which has a couple different vibes as opposed to just the usual all-psych head-trip. Also, as you make your way through, keep in mind that a lot of this stuff is coming from debut albums. Moon Rats, Kabbalah, Eternal Black, Mindkult, The Raynbow, Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree. Hell, Steak’s track is their second album, and Youngblood Supercult too, so yeah, there’s a lot of fresh stuff included from newer bands. I didn’t come into it with a plan at all. This is just how it worked out, which of course is more fun anyway.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

Track details follow:

First Hour:

0:00:00 Moon Rats, “Highway Lord” from Highway Lord
0:03:36 Youngblood Supercult, “The Hot Breath of God” from The Great American Death Rattle
0:07:31 Kabbalah, “Phantasmal Planetoid” from Spectral Ascent
0:12:11 Wretch, “The Wretch” from Bastards Born
0:20:25 Steak, “Creeper” from No God to Save
0:24:28 Eternal Black, “Stained Eyes on a Setting Sun” from Bleed the Days
0:31:44 Mindkult, “Howling Witch” from Lucifer’s Dream
0:36:51 Shooting Guns, “Flavour Country” from Flavour Country
0:45:04 Endless Boogie, “Vibe Killer” from Vibe Killer
0:53:22 Blaak Heat, “Marr El Kallam” from The Arabian Fuzz 7”
0:57:55 The Grand Astoria, “The Sleeper Awakes” from The Fuzz of Destiny

Second Hour:

1:02:45 Eggnogg, “Overture / Wild Goose Chase” from Rituals in Transfigured Time – Prologue
1:16:06 Elara, “Harmonia” from Deli Bal
1:31:41 Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree, “Sail Away I” from Medicine
1:45:50 The Raynbow, “Changes” from The Cosmic Adventure

Total running time: 2:01:51

 

Thank you for listening.

Download audiObelisk Transmission 062

 

If you’re like me and you dug the Italian one-man psych rock outfit Bantoriak‘s debut album, Weedoism (review here), when Argonauta Records released it in 2015, you’ll probably want to pay extra attention to the forthcoming initial public offering from newcomers Rancho Bizarro. The four-piece was founded by Izio Orsini, who was and remains the driving force behind Bantoriak, and even as that incarnation prepares to release a new long-player in 2018 — good news in itself — word has come through that Rancho Bizarro will make their own debut this Fall, also via Argonauta.

They’ve got a video playing now for the track “Garage Part Two” that you can see below, and it’s about as straight-ahead unpretentious desert riffing as one can get. I don’t know much else about the record — title, art, if it’s done being recorded, release date, etc. — but going from the three minutes of audio provided, it sounds tonally warm and like there’s a clear head about where it wants to go aesthetically. It wants to go to the desert, basically. One looks forward to finding out if it gets there.

Argonauta posted the following:

Argonauta Records New signing: RANCHO BIZZARRO

We’re proud to announce to have inked a deal with Italian Stoner Rockers RANCHO BIZZARRO, the new project by Izio Orsini, who after his debut “Weedooism” with the name BANTORIAK (new album due later in 2018), took the decision to start a new band.

RANCHO BIZZARRO is an Instrumental four-piece formed by two guitars (Matteo Micheli and Marco Gambicorti), bass (Izio Orsini) and drums (Federico Melosi), with a clear Stoner Desert Rock influence. The original idea takes form from jams run into the rehearsals room, then rearranged in studio where the sound gets a typical ’70 attitude.

Be prepared for a stunning album to be released by Fall 2017, with influences from Brant Bjork, MC5, Black Sabbath.

https://www.facebook.com/desertyeah/
https://twitter.com/ranchobizzarro
https://instagram.com/rancho_bizzarro
https://ranchobizzarro.tumblr.com/
http://www.argonautarecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords/
https://twitter.com/ArgonautaRex

Rancho Bizarro, “Garage Part 2” official video

Sometimes it’s just a pleasure to find something so endearingly weird. Enter the noisy, synthy, semi-electronica freakout of The Diaphanoids, an Italian duo whose new album, Blessed Poisons, is out Aug. 8 via People in the Sky. The proceedings get unhinged quickly on the eight-track outing’s leadoff title-track and tend to stay that way from there on, though amid the pulsations of “My Friends Can Fly” one finds the soundscaping “Too Many Stars Not Enough Night” and “Iconize Yourself,” and the gone-way-way-far-out-like-so-far-out-how-is-this-not-British “FYW,” so there’s nothing to Blessed Poisons if there isn’t variety, at least working along the common theme of wanting to melt your brain as much as its own.

Sounds like hyperbole until you dig in. You can hear “FYW” at the bottom of this post, and I can all but guarantee that whatever else you might be listening to today, it won’t sound like this.

Have at you:

THE DIAPHANOIDS – ‘Blessed Poisons’ New album released 8th August via People In The Sky

The Diaphanoids return with their sleazy, iconic brand of psychallucisergic rock, with new album ‘Blessed Poisons’, released 8th August, via People In The Sky.

Jumped-up and re-toxed, ‘Blessed Poisons’ is the band’s answer to the current, sterile psychedelic scene; a punkier, snarling interpretation of the comparatively childish and harmless new cosmic sound of their contemporaries.

The final story in an epic trilogy, the space travellers, having survived a series of inner and outer trips, their strangest and most peculiar dimension has become daily reality, in which the only way to escape is by staying disconnected and in an altered state of mind. It’s the sound of transcendent visions, of scarves drenched in oils, blood full of fractured rhythm, x-ray guitars and stoned vocals.

From tracks such as ‘Too Many Stars and Not Enough Night’, with its ecstatic floating guitars and infinitely shining crystal keyboards, to the smacked-down drums and hashed-up guitar solos of ‘Iconize Yourself’, ‘Blessed Poisons’ is a true howl from the gutter, a full-throated battle cry from the underground. Hallucinatory rage echoing out into a dead, empty reality.

The Diaphanoids were formed in 2001 by two Italian musicians; Andrea Bellentani and Simon Maccari.

The band’s debut album, the dreamy retro-inspired ‘Astral Weekend’, was released on Bearfunk Records in 2008 and was created using a collection of 50 vintage synthesizers including one that previously belonged to former Tangerine Dream member and synth wizard Klaus Schulze!

The 2014 follow-up, ‘LSME’, blended 70’s cosmic flavours, fuzzed-out guitars and motorised rhythms. Released on Tirk Recordings (home to Richard Norris’s psych rock outfit ‘The Time And Space Machine’ and Greg Wilson’s ‘Credit To The Edit’ series) the hallucinatory Moog-drenched record referenced everything from cosmic soundtracks to kitschy sci-fi to psychedelia and krautrock, and was met with critical acclaim.

People In The Sky Records began life in the back of a record shop in east London in early 2006 and were behind the early Friendly Fires releases along with sharp art-poppers, Plugs.

https://www.facebook.com/The-Diaphanoids-1474809589407941/
http://www.peopleinthesky.com/

Golly. I gotta say, to take a look at the new Wolves in the Throne Room video, and to see the upcoming tour dates they’re doing in Europe and the US to support the Sept. 22 release of their new album, Thrice Woven, through their own Artemesia Records, it sure looks like they’re positioning themselves at the forefront of American black metal. I’m sure there are purists who’d quibble with this or that clarification, but stop for a second and consider who’s better suited to the task?

Since their founding 15 years ago, haven’t Wolves in the Throne Room constantly offered an individualized, born-of-the-land take on the style that’s been both of and beyond the conventions of genre? I’d argue yes, and while I wouldn’t profess to be the be-all-end-all expert on the subject, I’d further argue that in so doing they’re the group who’ve most typified USBM’s relationship to the rest of the world’s blackened undergrounds. It is an essential function of American art to be brash, heathen and to work against rigid dogma. Wolves in the Throne Room have done and seem to be continuing to do that.

So if they’re taking their rightful place, all the better. They’ve certainly earned it.

From the PR wire:

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM ANNOUNCE U.S. TOUR

Dates run from September 29 through October 25 – New album Thrice Woven out September 22nd on Artemisia

In preparation for their September 22nd release of Thrice Woven, Wolves in the Throne Room have announced an extensive U.S. tour shortly after the album’s street date. Set to run from September 29th through October 25th with support from Pillorian, the tour will take the bands from coast to coast – check out the full routing listed below.

Since their inception in 2002, over the course of 5 studio albums and hundreds of live performances, Wolves in the Throne Room have refracted Black Metal through their own Cascadian prism. Their songs explore the hidden world of magic that one accesses through dreams, visions and music and the resulting sounds are intimately linked to the wild lands of the Pacific Northwest. Now, a portal into the dreamworld of Wolves in the Throne Room opens again with their forthcoming sixth LP, Thrice Woven – a glorious return to the blazing and furious Black Metal that they alone can create.

Look for Thrice Woven to be available September 22nd on Wolves in the Throne Room’s own label, Artemisia.

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, ON TOUR:
UPCOMING EUROPEAN LIVE DATES:
Thu 03/08/2017 RO Arad – Dark Bombastic Evening
Fri 04/08/2017 SL Ljubljana – Kino Siska
Sat 05/08/2017 PL Katowice – OFF festival
Sun 06/08/2017 SK Bratislava – Randal Club
Mon 07/08/2017 HUN Budapest – A38
Wed 09/08/2017 CZ Josefov – Brutal Assault
Fri 11/08/2017 CH Le Locle – Rock Altitude
Sat 12/08/2017 BE Kortrijk – Alcatraz festival
Mon 14/08/2017 RU Moscow – Volta
Tue 15/08/2017 RU St Petersburg – Opera

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM & PILLORIAN:
September 29 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
September 30 Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
October 2 Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
October 3 Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad
October 5 Houston, TX @ White Oak (downstairs)
October 6 New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
October 7 Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
October 9 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
October 10 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Hell
October 11 Richmond, VA @ Capital Ale House
October 12 Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Sound Stage
October 13 Brooklyn, NY @ Villain
October 14 Pittsburgh, PA @ Villain
October 16 Cincinnati, OH @ The Taft Ballroom
October 17 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
October 18 Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th St. Collective
October 20 Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
October 21 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
October 22 Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone
October 24 Portland, OR @ Tonic Lounge
October 25 Olympia, WA @ Obsidian

http://wittr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wolvesinthethroneroom/
https://shop.wittr.com/
https://artemisiarecords.bandcamp.com/

Wolves in the Throne Room, “Born from the Serpent’s Eye” official video

I really think Snail should release their set from last year’s The Obelisk All-Dayer. I’ve never started any kind of online petition, and I’m not usually one to go fishing for comments — because I live in terror that I wouldn’t get any — but yeah, you can check out the video of their 10-minute epic roller “Thou Art That” from the show and if you agree with me that the whole set should see at least a digital release or a limited tape or something, please leave a comment on this post. I’m not saying if we hit a certain number of comments they’ll put something out, but it certainly can’t hurt to try. Right?

“Thou Art That” was a highlight of 2015’s Feral (review here), which came out on Small Stone and was the perfect occasion for the trio of guitarist/vocalist Mark Johnson, bassist Matt Lynch and drummer Marty Dodson to hit the East Coast for the first time in their 20-years-plus history. They absolutely killed it at the show, with what seemed to me to be the night’s biggest crowd, and though I’d seen them on a rare tour years before in San Francisco (review here), this was obviously something special. I was lucky they could make the trip to play.

This isn’t the first live video they’ve posted from the All-Dayer either though. They had one for the title-track of 2009’s Blood (review here) that came out at the beginning of the year as well, so “Thou Art That” — shot by David Strayer with board-recorded audio by Jaime Traba and additional production from Matt Lynch — is the second time they’ve teased the prospect of doing something with that material. I already offered to write the liner notes for a tape or any other kind of release. Come on, guys. This one needs to happen.

I’ve been kicking around ideas for a second The Obelisk All-Dayer for the better part of the last year. Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn was on board last I checked, but I’m not sure if it’s something I want to do again, especially with a baby on the way. We’ll see. If you have an opinion on the matter, I’d love to hear it.

Oh, and if you see some schmo down in the front rocking out at the end of “Thou Art That,” well clearly that’s just somebody who very, very much enjoyed the set. Ha.

Dig it:

Snail, “Thou Art That” Live at The Obelisk All-Dayer

The almighty SNAIL playing live at The Obelisk All Dayer in Brooklyn NYC 8-20-2016.

Video: David Strayer
Audio: Jaime Traba
Production: Matt Lynch

Snail, Feral (2015)

Snail on Thee Facebooks

Snail website

Snail at Small Stone Records

Is something still a reissue if it’s a first pressing on a given format? Underrated Swedish riffpounders Spelljammer released Inches from the Sun in 2010, before they signed to RidingEasy Records to put out Vol. 2 in 2012 and 2015’s third album, Ancient of Days (review here), but it’s never been released on vinyl. So is it a reissue or something else? Not to bother you with too many questions, but it’s four songs and 25 minutes long. Is it an album or an EP? Sure grooves like a full-length — the march of “Mountainside” wouldn’t really have it any other way, no matter what followed — but where’s that line? Does it matter?

Science demands answers to these queries of our age. Or, you know, maybe it’s just something to think about while you get your preorder in ahead of the Sept. 22 release of whatever you want to call the forthcoming Inches from the Sun vinyl. As a special note, I’d like to say thanks to RidingEasy for doing a CD version as well for those of us who still like tiny plastic discs and playing with lasers. That version is also dirt cheap, listed at a suitable $6.66. Just saying. There are advantages.

From the PR wire:

Spelljammer to reissue debut album Inches From the Sun

Swedish trio’s ‘desert rock’/doom masterwork’s first time on vinyl

Swedish trio Spelljammer announce the forthcoming reissue of their celebrated 2010 debut Inches From the Sun, to be released September 22nd via RidingEasy Records. This is the album’s first time on vinyl, and first proper release worldwide.

RidingEasy previously released Spelljammer’s 2015 album Ancient of Days, as well as the band’s Vol. II EP earlier that same year.

Inches From the Sun is a hypnotic groove-based hybrid of classic Desert Rock and rumbling European doom that launched the band to international acclaim following its release. The 4-song set will be available everywhere on LP, CD and download on September 22nd, 2017 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available now at ridingeasyrecs.com.

Artist: Spelljammer
Album: Inches From the Sun
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: September 22nd, 2017

01. Mountainside
02. Witcher
03. Nine
04. Rise of the Sonic Surfer

Spelljammer is:
Robert – guitar
Jonatan – drums
Niklas – bass/vocals

spelljammer.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/Spelljammer
www.ridingeasyrecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/ridingeasyrecords/

Spelljammer, Inches from the Sun (2010)