Psychedelic Rock

Cracked Machine – The Call of the Void Review

By Huck N Roll on April 12, 2019 in 2019, British Metal, Post-Rock, Psychedelic Rock, PsyKa Records, Reviews, Psychedelic Rock, 36 comments

“Back in the olde days, if a band took two years between releases they were considered to be “on sabbatical.” Nowadays, if a band puts out an album faster than every two years, we wonder why they’re rushing things. An album a year used to be the rule, and that’s a rule that Cracked Machine seem to be adhering to early in their career. The Call of the Void comes hot on the heels of the Wiltshire quartet’s 2018 debut, I, Cosmonaut. Maybe it’s easier to write post-rock songs with psychedelic overtones, or maybe these fellows just have a lot of ideas swimming around in their heads.” Grinders.

Deathchant – Deathchant Review

By Huck N Roll on January 7, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, King Volume Records, Proto-Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock, 27 comments

“Let’s ease into 2019, shall we? After a climactic December that saw about a million Things You Might have Missed posts, nearly two dozen Top Ten(ish) lists, and a few more outstanding releases, it’s time to let our collective breath out, sit back, and strap in for what we all hope will be a stellar year for metal. And while early January might not be blessing us with any albums that will stick around until list season, there are a few that are worth digging into. Is this shorty (a mere seven songs and 30 minutes) from Los Angeles’ Deathchant one of those? If you’re into psychedelic proto-rock, with all sorts of other spices added in, then this eponymous debut just might kick-start your year.” Death the halls.

New Light Choir – Torchlight Review

By Huck N Roll on November 25, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Occult Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Svart Records, Occult Rock, Psychedelic Rock, 22 comments

“The occult/psychedelic movement has been quiet this year, and when it has made noise, that noise has been like bathwater: tepid and lukewarm. Aside from a small handful of notable exceptions, when you search the site for occult rock or psychedelic rock, you find a ton of 2.5s and 3.0s. Not the most fun in the world. But North Carolina duo New Light Choir aim to change that here with their third album, Torchlight. While their first two albums showed promise, there was obvious room for growth, both in production and songwriting. But as is the case with pretty much every genre, it is easy to take things into parody range. Worshiping too hard at the retro altar usually doesn’t work out.” Worship the olden riffs.

Ancestors – Suspended in Reflections Review

By Huck N Roll on August 26, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Doom Metal, Pelagic Records, Post-metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, 31 comments

“Sometimes when bands have lengthy breaks between albums, it’s easy to forget them. Case in point: Ancestors, whom I had forgotten all about until Suspended in Reflections showed up in our August list. A quick dig through my music library showed me why the name was familiar: their 2012 album, In Dreams and Time, was one of my favorites of the year, a truly stellar piece of art that, had I been reviewing back in those days, would have been a front-runner for Record o’ the Month.” Respect your Ancestors.

Black Space Riders – Amoretum Vol. 2 Review

By Huck N Roll on August 1, 2018 in 2018, Black Space Records, German Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Psychedelic Rock, 39 comments

“And now for part two of my reviews of two-part albums, the follow-up to Black Space Riders’ January release, Amoretum Vol. 1. What hooked me into that first album (and has kept me coming back regularly to select songs) was the overall feel of the songs — groovy, psychedelic cuts with a tight focus on rhythm and plenty of David Bowie influence. What I didn’t like was the opening song, an out-of-place, messy garage-punk outlier, and the penchant for the band to identify themselves only with initials. My final words in that review were ‘I’m on board for Vol. 2. Hopefully, Black Space Riders keep it going.’ So… do they?” Space madness.

Fire Down Below – Hymn of the Cosmic Man Review

By Huck N Roll on June 21, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Ripple Music, Stoner Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock, 85 comments

“I have two basic approaches when it comes to reviews. If the album is by a band whose discography I am familiar with, I’ll read the PR materials to learn more prior to listening. If it’s a band I haven’t heard of, but either grabbed off the promo list or was voluntold to take it by the inestimable Madam X, I won’t read anything about the band. I’ll dive right into the promo and form some unfettered opinions over a few listens before checking out the PR material. That’s how I did it with Belgian quartet Fire Down Below and their sophomore album, Hymn of the Cosmic Man.” Ignorance is bliss.

Boss Keloid – Melted on the Inch Review

By Huck N Roll on April 27, 2018 in 2018, British Metal, Doom Metal, Holy Roar Records, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Sludge, Stoner Metal, 91 comments

“At AMG Headquarters last week, as a number of us were gathered around the bench press station during our allocated one hour of yard time, discussions turned from who could bench the most, to personal tastes when it comes to genres to review. When I was finally allowed to talk, I said I like my dad metal, sure, but I also enjoy deeply of prog, doom, some stoner — and I like it all to be just a little off-kilter. Well, members of Boss Keloid must have been standing nearby, because Melted on the Inch, their third album, ticks all my non-dad-metal boxes.” Boss dad prison metal.

Ruff Majik – Seasons Review

By GardensTale on April 22, 2018 in 2018, Doom Metal, Plug Music Agency, Reviews, South African Metal, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Metal, 29 comments

“Located at the very tip of the African continent, South Africa may win the prize for ‘Most Accurate Country Name,’ challenged only by the uniformly low and flat Netherlands. Metal, however, is not what the nation is generally known for (apartheid and the guy who directed District 9 both rank higher, for instance.) In our extensive archives, only 9 articles bear a ‘South African Metal’ tag. Until today, that is, because Ruff Majik come forth from the shadows of Pretoria, the South African capital.” South Africa rising.

Soldat Hans – Es Taut Review

By El Cuervo on April 12, 2018 in 2018, Post-metal, Post-Rock, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Swiss Metal, Wolves and Vibrancy Records, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Psychedelic Rock, 37 comments

“There isn’t much more satisfying in life than the accidental stumble into something really cool. A relationship. A blog in which you would still be participating 7 years later. A record for which you had no expectations as you simply didn’t know it existed. It’s the last of these which is the feature of today’s review. I have much less free time these days so I spend less time sampling new music. A lack of interest in the first 2 or 3 minutes of a song is a death sentence for that record. Switzerland’s Soldat Hans and their sophomore album called Es Taut should have fallen at this first hurdle given its glacial pace. Should.” Es Taut, Cuervo?

Octopus – Supernatural Alliance Review

By Master of Muppets on April 10, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Retro Metal, Reviews, Rise Above Records, Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Retro Metal, Rock, 78 comments

“Here we are, once again, gathered together under the metaphoric roof of the Angry Metal Hall. Our ranks comprise fans of all walks of metal, no two tastes are identical and yet we all convene here to bang our heads as one. What joins us disparate degenerates as children of the Jørn? What fantastic force unites the photometers, hamsters, and screaming boxes that plague our comment section? The answer holds as trve now as in those dark days preceding the internet: it’s the riffs, stupid. This obvious answer in turn poses an obvious question: “What does this have to do with Octopus’ Supernatural Alliance?”” What a big tent you have.