Clutch

Bokassa – All Out of Dreams Review

Bokassa – All Out of Dreams Review

“On the surface, the perceived lethargy of stoner metal doesn’t seem like a natural match for the reckless energy of punk. But the two genres have been roommates since college and still bunk together regularly. The soundtracks of Jackass and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater mixed them up freely, and bands like Clutch and Fu Manchu have plenty of popularity on both sides of the fence. When I saw Rise Against in March of 2011, they brought Coliseum, who fused stoner, hardcore, and punk into one. So I wasn’t particularly surprised at Bokassa’s self-appointed genre of stoner punk. I was more surprised, and apprehensive, at Lars Ulrich of all people giving them the seal of approval.” Big friends, dumb punks, and stones.

Damnation’s Hammer – Into the Silent Nebula Review

Damnation’s Hammer – Into the Silent Nebula Review

“Hard to categorize, the UK troupe’s unique concoction of Temple of Void / Bolt Thrower death metal, Triptykon doom, and Clutch-y hard rock groove presents an inimitable character that no other band on Earth boasts. It is this unique flavor that earned predecessor Unseen Planets, Deadly Spheres a high rating from yours truly.” Spare the Hammer, spoil the spheres.

King Buffalo – Regenerator Review

King Buffalo – Regenerator Review

Last year, in the midst of endless lockdowns, I got my lucky mittens on King Buffalo’s excellent The Burden of Restlessness. I had not heard another record that more perfectly encapsulated the experience of isolation resulting from the pandemic, nor have I since. The album was announced to be the start of a rapid-fire trilogy, the finale supposed to come out before the year was through. The vinyl crash elongated that schedule a tad, which caused part two, Acheron, to drop in the middle of list season and tumble between wall and ship. It had deserved better; not only is it a wondrous and otherworldly psychedelic trip, the whole album was recorded live in an actual cave for a unique sound not easily reproduced. So let me make it up to the band by at least addressing the closing chapter of the pandemic trilogy: Regenerator.” Royal animals.

HolyRoller – Swimming Witches Review

HolyRoller – Swimming Witches Review

“The stoner rock / stoner metal scene is one littered, perhaps more than many sub genres, with tepid mediocrity. One where the utterly forgettable bands seem to massively outnumber both the outstanding and the awe-inspiringly awful acts. While the likes of Clutch, Monster Magnet and Red Fang stand head and shoulders above most in the genre, I have begun to wonder whether there is something intrinsic in the style that leads to so much tediousness. Can North Carolina quartet HolyRoller buck this trend and avoid the apparent pitfalls that trap so many of their baked brethren to deliver something truly interesting with debut Swimming Witches?” Don’t witches just sink?

Malossi – Blanke Barter Review

Malossi – Blanke Barter Review

“It sounds like a dream or a hallucination. Clutch is actually a Norwegian band. They rock hard, they add a bit more of a desert vibe to their sound (think of a more restrained Kyuss), and they sing in Norwegian. They love to throw things like tuba and harmonica into their songs. Their favorite thing in life is abusing the hell out of scooters (hence the band name). And for their album cover, they use a portrait that basically looks like my dad. Sound crazy? It’s not that far from reality, my friends. Let me introduce you to Malossi, and their second album, Blanke Barter.” Scooter-core.

DayGlo Mourning – Dead Star Review

DayGlo Mourning – Dead Star Review

“I remember a comment in a discussion about stoner, of which a paraphrase would come down to ‘stoner doesn’t have anything left to strive for because Kyuss created and perfected the genre with the same album.’ But still, there’re exceptions. Elder and Boss Keloid are two prime examples of putting a different twist on stoner, Clutch has been an offbeat banner-carrier for years and even lesser-known acts like Realms of Vision get to tweak the formula a little. Does DayGlo Mourning’s Dead Star take break new ground, or is it the same old song?” Dead stars and glo-sticks.

Raging Speedhorn – Hard to Kill Review

Raging Speedhorn – Hard to Kill Review

Raging Speedhorn. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. A long time. And to be honest, I didn’t really expect to hear it again but it would seem it’s pretty Hard to Kill this six-piece from Corby in the UK. I first came across Raging Speedhorn when they opened the main stage at Ozzfest in Milton Keynes in 2001. I am almost certain that I saw them again at some point and, after conferring with one of my best mates, I think this may have been a rather unlikely-seeming slot opening for The Dillinger Escape Plan sometime around 2002 or 2003. I hadn’t thought about them since then until a few weeks back, when Holdeneye alerted me to the fact that we had received the promo for Hard to Kill and asked whether, as the only person to ever reference Raging Speedhorn on the blog, I was interested. Hell, why not.” Can’t kill the Horn.

Angry Metal Days 2020: COVID-19 update

Angry Metal Days 2020: COVID-19 update

“Well. This fucking sucks. As most of you are probably aware unless you literally just woke up from a 2 month coma, the summer of 2020 has effectively been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerts, tours and festivals the world over have bid months of preparations and investments goodbye. Now, MetalDays has joined the fallen, as the Slovenian government has decided to keep the ban on public events in place.” You can’t stop the Metal Days.