Thunderous Italian Stoner

So this is my first truly stoner rock post on this blog. It was more an accident than anything as the blog i would typically post this on, the search feature was acting up. So, after finding out it was already posted on the Swamp, couldnt waste a perfectly good upload to wither away, now could i? With a mighty bottom end and howling solos, you will have your head nodding in now time.

"This is the first album from the French label Longfellow Deeds Records I get to review. This label specializes in the groovy side of Rock/Metal, which happens to be my favorite side. Are BLACK RAINBOWS able to deliver some groovy tunes that will make us wanna grab a beer and bang our heads under their melodies? This is something we will have to find out...

BLACK RAINBOWS hail from a country that never had anything to offer to the Stoner scene, Italy! How can someone play such music when he is surrounded by Power Metal or Gothic bands? It is probably the warm environment the Mediterranean people live in.

"Twilight In The Desert" is the bands first and only release, since it is the only release they mention in their official homepage. The band plays a kind of psychedelic Stoner Rock, that draws influences from acts like NEBULA, the high and mighty BLUE CHEER (hail!) and SLO BURN, as well as the must KYUSS groovy touches. The low tuned guitar/bass are adding quite some heaviness to the sound, while Fioris vocals travel you somewhere in a desert, where you can see the sun setting as you drink your favorite beer and burn everything that troubles your mind.

"Twilight In The Desert" is not the best release in the Stoner/Space Rock scene for 2007, but it is an album that follows the "necessary" rules for groovy and psychedelic moments, in order to offer you approximately 34 minutes of pure and honest Heavy Rock music. Suggested only to those few that can feel the heat of music that is played straight from the heart..." (metal-temple.com)

Band Site: http://www.myspace.com/blackrainbowsrock
Black Rainbows - Twilight In The Desert: http://lix.in/-5be0d0

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Now playing: Freedom Hawk - On The Otherside
via FoxyTunes

Add some funk to your groove

"At first, I thought 404 Not Found rose from the ashes of Fooz, the Spanish band that released one full length and disappeared halfway through the production of their follow-up. There are some common traits with the two, especially the vocals. But a search of 404's website shows that the band actually evolved from Vanexa, a group that first started out in 1983.

That's a long time to be slogging it out in the trenches, so it's not surprising that 404 Not Found is a fairly accomplished group of players. Armless is one of those albums that's heavy on playing, not in tone. It's a nuanced record, a sort of stoner/classic/psychedelic rock lite mixed with a smidgen of funk, enough to give the songs some pep but not enough to give you flashbacks of that horrid funk metal fad of the mid '90's.

You won't put Armless on in your car if you have need some inspiration to go somewhere fast, but it was a pretty enjoyable listen. Good musicianship and solid songs go a long way. Those who invest some time with 404 Not Found will probably discover that this is a record that reveals more with each listen." (stonerrock.com)

Band Site:
404 Not Found - Armless: http://lix.in/-52b90a

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Now playing: First Band From Outer Space - Demons & Haze
via FoxyTunes

Think Medeski, Martin & Wood crossed with Govt Mule and maybe the Chemical Brothers hanging out in a jam space

This shit grooves...

"Although it includes Voivod's Away in the line-up and features cover art that could easily be used for the famous Canadian psycho-thrash band's upcoming album, Kosmos has nothing to do with thrash or even metal. Instead, what you get here is space rock with influences from Hawkwind, Amon Duul II, Van Der Graff Generator and with perhaps some Camel and Faust thrown in for good measure. In short, this album will definitely satisfy fans of this kind of music, although regrettably it is also not entirely without faults.

The problem that many people (this reviewer included) have with the modern progressive rock and metal scenes is that so many contemporary bands focus too much on technique, composition and mathematics, foregoing what made the genre interesting in the first place: journeying into areas of musical weirdness. Kosmos is a progressive band by the original definition of the genre and they are capable of capturing that sense of wonder and utter bemusement with gusto. From the krautrock opener to the alien punk rock of "Much Too Old", this album offers more reality-bending than an entire season of Farscape. Long ambient/noise passages, Hindu mantras, electronic soundscapes dominated by blips - it's all here, and more.

The problem with this album is paradoxically also this sense of overwhelming musical freedom that the band projects. The constant meandering nature of the music does not make for an album that flows well, at least not as a rock record. The experience of listening to Kosmos is more like that of being engrossed by a soundtrack to a surrealist film. As experiences go, it is phenomenal, but it doesn't really lend itself to repeated listens. Thus, Kosmos might end up being one of those records that sit on your shelf for months at a time, and only filling your room with its aural landscape once in a blue moon.

Kosmos is an album for the real hardcore progressive rock aficionado. It is mind bending and like a drug in many ways: capable of expanding perception of reality, but only if taken in moderation." (metalstorm.ee)

(Thanks Psymin!)

Band Site: http://www.myspace.com/kosmostheband
Kosmos - Self-Titled: http://lix.in/-54ce87

These guys seem like they would be fun live

"On their first release, these young lads from Philadelphia are bringing to mind early Nirvana and even a little Green Day with supersonic guitars and raw as hell vocals with a nice bouncing melody. Man, I must say its already at the top of my list for picks this year. With tunes named ‘I’ll be Okay’ & ‘Drugs Are Fun’ you just can’t go wrong. I feel like I’m 16 again and watching some cool undiscovered band playing in my friends basement, smoking Marlboro reds and sharing 40’s.. GET the FUCKING cd!" (stonerrock.com)

(Thanks Psymin)

Band Site: http://www.myspace.com/quipsrock
Quips - Amphetamines!: http://lix.in/-503a90