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NEBULA - "ATOMIC RITUAL"
NEGATIVE REACTION - "EVERYTHING YOU..."
ORANGE GOBLIN - "THIEVING FROM THE HOUSE OF GOD"
ORQUESTA DEL DESIERTO - "DOS"
PELICAN - "AUSTRALASIA"
>>MORE ROADBURN PICS: Pt.III
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NEBULA
"ATOMIC RITUAL" [ CD/LP - Liquid & poker Music ]
On their third full length release, Nebula have teamed up with legendary
producer Chris Goss to take their sound to a new level. Almost as soon as
the first track kicks off, Goss' presence can be felt as guitar fills come
whooshing out of the speakers and chords and inversions of chords are
stacked on top of each other creating a distinct sound reminiscent of
Masters Of Reality's recent output.
The songs still bear the stamp of classic Nebula, but are enhanced with
pianos, organs, synths, sitar, and backing vocals, giving the music more
depth, allowing the band to explore previously uncharted territories while
staying true to their core sound. The songs are layered with spaced out
psychedelic flourishes, and underneath it all are some of the strongest songs
that Eddie & Ruben have ever come up with.
The Blue Cheer, MC5, Sabbath, and Stooges influences are still present, of course,
but bits of Cream, Zeppelin, and Deep Purple are thrown in for good measure.
As the album carries on, the songs begin to interweave and fade into each
other, tying the album together as a whole, rather than just a collecting
a group of songs. This is very similar to another Goss
production, Kyuss' "Sky Valley."
Where Nebula's albums in the past have been more of an extension of the live
experience, Atomic Ritual is a true studio-created masterpiece. Can they
pull it off live? Fast forward through a couple minutes of silence after
the last track [the haunting instrumental "Fin"] and you will find "Atomic
Ritual Revisited", a live-in-the-studio performance of the title track with
new bassist Dennis Wilson [who has already left the band -ed], and judge for yourself.
Wilson joined the band too late to play on the album where bass duties were handled by Eddie,
Ruben, Chris, and Mark Abshire, collectively credited as "Simon Moon."
In short, Atomic Ritual is Nebula to the 10th power. Chris, Eddie, and
Ruben successfully took the familiar Nebula sound, chopped it up, threw it
into a blender, and brewed up something familiar, yet new, fresh, and
exciting at the same time.
Turn off the lights, slap on some headphones with the volume cranked, partake in your favorite
mood enhancements, and prepare for a mind altering journey through time and space courtesy of
Nebula and Chris Goss.
andy samford
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NEGATIVE REACTION
"EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR GALACTIC BATTLE ADVENTURES" [ CD - Game Two Records/Psychedoomelic Records ]
This is the kinda' heavy shit I spend all my spare cash on. And I'm telling you, this shit
is HEAVY. It opens with an apt sample from Dogma and literally blasts forth with enough
demonic riff thrust to clear the earth's atmosphere.
Negative reaction are the toughest Power Trio I have ever heard, pummelling guitars
which take the formulaic Iommi signatures and drag them screaming through
thick rancid vats of bile and finally shit them though the most fucked up and
beaten-down PA you can imagine, these doom tinged grooves are meaner than the
ebola virus.
What makes this CD stand out from the hundreds of doom wannabe's is that these three
New Yorkers are clearly the real thing, no mere stoner-doom dilettantes -- there is a
tangible rage here. What makes this more potent than mere shouty hardcore
tripe like Converge/Poison the Well/etc. is that, "Everything You Need For Galactic Battle Adventures" is
organically and ear-stabbingly heavy.
It takes a healthy bite of a Cavity/Isis/Neurosis burger and
mixes it with a portion of Discharge fuzz fury fries. Ken-E bones, John Old Macdonald
and Damon Limpy create a genuinely exotic, electrifying and thunderous
psychedelic/sabbathoid sonic witches brew. The sounds are almost tactile and leave a
viscous, misanthropic tar-like residue in your skull after listening to it.
Another reason to love this band and buy this album immediately is the mix. It's incredible, and
dare I say it, somewhat unique. The one problem with extreme music is that the guitars
are often mixed too high and bass and drums are hidden cowering beneath the sweaty ego of
the guitar overlord, but that is not the case here. It's a revelation!
The drums kick like a mule on PCP and the bass, THE BASS! Damon Limpy is the groove-finder
general and you hear his pounding, sick-ass bass lines winding their way though this CD like drooling
pythons, which of course is more rewarding on each listen as you clearly pick up on all
the subtleties, drum fills, funky little bass breakdows etc.
I will always be a huge fan of Soilent Green, but Negative Reaction are equally as
innovative and dare I say it, more punishing.
Many folk hyped up the first acid bath cd, and aside from a few grooves it is a
little 'light' and undeserved IMO. This, on the other hand, demands a heavy metal Oscar for
services rendered to keep the doom alive.
Listen to "...Galactic Battle Adventures" and even without the aid of intoxicants you will
have one. Give EHG and Iron Monkey a much-needed holiday and take a one way
trip to the doom Nebula.
jason
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ORANGE GOBLIN
"THIEVING FROM THE HOUSE OF GOD" [ CD - Rise Above Records ]
The are few genuinely exciting moments in life, the first time you finger
bang the school tart, that magical moment in adolescence when beer no longer
disgusts, and you suddenly yield to it's amber coloured, frothy goodness, I can now also add the
anticipation of a new Orange Goblin album. And hotdamn!!! Here we are again!!! In the year
of our bored 2004 I finally have Orange Goblin's "Thieving from the House of God" CD clenched
firmly in my oily fist.
Before one discusses the tunage within I would like to salute the band's choice of artwork, very
classy indeed, an imposing interior shot of a trez gothic looking chapel topped off with a
rather choice gold gilded O.G logo across the top. It's apropos that the sleeve oozes class, as it
neatly hints at the sonic joy to be found when you slip this bad-ass disc into your stereogram
of choice.
My only slight trepidation was in pondering how this would fare as the first OG album without
long-term guitarist Pete O'Malley. I thunk to myself, would there be less girth to
Goblin's formidable, hellraisin' beer-core? A valid fear, since their "Coup de Grace" album
repeatedly delivered the rock like a steel-toed boot the groin. The answer, in simple terms, not
on your smelly Nelly mate!!!
As the opening track "Some You Win, Some You Lose" careens out of your speakers with a
swollen, compulsive riff that demands your attention with the pole-axing immediacy of
a gunshot wound. I cannot over eulogise the absolute, delirious pleasure of
hearing "Some You Win, Some You Lose" for the first time. It's an instant riff-rock classic
and it loses not a jot of potency on repeated spins.
Of course after such a stellar opening you might expect a slight drop off of quality, well
not this time chief, as "One Room, One Axe, One Outcome" picks up the boogie baton and
continues to drive pell mell to it's chicken-fried-steak finale with nary a pause for breath.
By now Orange Goblin has well and truly gotcha by the throat until your head's bobbing about like a
rutting ape's nut-sack. The grooves on "Thieving From The House of God" are all wildly boozy, infectious, heavy
metal jams, HM anthems, powered by overdriven, gonzoid, Motorhead guitars
and rousing Skynrd dynamics.
Where "Coup de Grace" was all about the ghost of Danzig past, this CD is all about the
vision of Goblin future, a future with OG's good ole boys sluggin' whiskey sours and waving
their rebel flags high, blasting out 100% proof riffage, louder and prouder than ever before.
By the time you get to the 3rd or 4th day of playing the album one realises that
this is unequivocally the finest Orange Goblin album yet, and really delivers on
all the moments of genius from their heady past.
Gone completely is their flaccid stoner/Hawkwind/Sabbath worship and they are now furiously
carving out a much harder edged, idiosyncratic, road burnin' Rock n Roll of their very own. Put it
this way, in a few years time people will be using the phrase "Orange Goblin-esque" when
describing Blitzkrieg Metal and it starts right here, right now baby!
The entirety of this album is in a high gear; "Thieving From The House of God" is all about keepin' on
keepin' on, boozing & a cruisin, head bangin, partyin and feastin on meat shanks the size of
yo mamma's head.
It's the raunchiest soundtrack to the best party you've never had. But, should you be
considering dropping this at a future soirée, nail everything down beforehand as by the
time the spunk rock frenzy of "Tosh Lines" kicks in, your shit's about to get fucked up.
If you still crave the slack tuned, doom-tinged sludge-stomp of "The Big Black", never fear, as the
corpulent riff to "Round up the Horses" is big enough for two. To be honest with you I think that's
really all a listener can legitimately expect from a metal CD, but then they rock you
out in grand style with the penultimate track, an artful cover of ZZ Top's majestic "Just Got Paid"
[Joe Hoare's more southern than-thou Gee-tar licks are simply awe inspiring!].
The swaggering, gargantuan power chords of "Crown of Locusts" resolutely vanquishes any question
that O.G can no longer bring on the heavy. Many albums CLAIM to have no filler, this hasn't. FACT! From
the talent displayed on "Thieving From The House of God" it is crystal clear to me that the only
band that could even hope to lay claim to the omnipotent metallic throne forged by Motorhead is
Orange Goblin.
As a closing footnote the beautiful female crooning on "Black Egg" is utterly unexpected a
nd truly wonderful, and any metal band with so many aces up it's sleeve is more than a safe bet.
Huge praise must be given to Billy Anderson for his full bore, pedal to the metal mix.
"Thieving From The House of God" will sit handsomely next to your tattered and much
loved copy of "Ace of Spades."
I can précis this review in three words: BUY THIS ALBUM.
jason
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ORQUESTA DEL DESIERTO
"DOS" [ CD - Meteorcity/Alone Records ]
Orquesta Del Desierto's debut album -- conceived by producer/songwriter/head honco Dandy Brown
[of Hermano-fame] during his trips through the high and low desert of southeastern California, set
them apart from their Marshall-pounding peers.
With appeances from the likes of Goatsnake's Pete Stahl and Fatso Jatson's Mario Lalli, the band
got lumped into the stoner scene. However, these stoner heavyweights reduced
their decibel count, and ODD's acoustical leanings had nothing in common with either
stonerrock or doom.
"Dos", the follow up to the much acclaimed debut, can only be
described as a true group effort. The sound can be likened to Santana meets Bill Withers or
Neil Young goes Motown. There's nothing reminicent of stoner here on offer; ODD are
taking cues from an assortment of different musical styles like latin, blues, country and
even soul, and take the listener on a mind altering trip through the Mojave desert. Magic!
walter
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PELICAN
"AUSTRALASIA" [ CD/LP - Hydrahead Records ]
Pelican's "Australasia" is an epic statement of what is possible in rock music without vocals. That is no
small statement, but then, this is an album that demands grandiose praise to match their sweeping
musical vistas.
There have been other great riff rock instrumental bands like Karma To Burn, other great
math rock instrumental bands like Don Caballero, and other great metal instrumental bands like
The Fucking Champs. But Pelican is the first band to encompass all of these genres and transcend
them.
"Australasia" has songs that are headbanging monuments to The Riff, delicate and
graceful songs that evoke memories of Zeppelin's "III", songs built on complex and constantly
evolving chord progressions, and majestic songs that make you feel unbridled joy.
But what "Australasia" has most of are songs that are great, listenable MUSIC."
This is an inherently and magically musical band that makes everything seem easy and flowing no matter how
complex it may be. This is allows them to combine tremendously disparate parts into
cinematic journeys that take you from huge mountainous riffs to quiet valleys of
introspective acoustic guitar picking without you being aware of the process.
The only other band that I can think of with this same ability is "Sky Valley"-era Kyuss, and Pelican
are clearly their equal in many ways. Pelican are NOT Kyuss sound-alikes though.
They are not anyone's sound-alikes. They have a unique musical signature, one that is
organic and dense but undeniably electric guitar driven. Their intricate and
winding progressions are the opposite of Meshuggah's precision-machined fury. Pelican songs
are full of subtle nuances in pitch, rhythm and time.
Human variations and deviations are celebrated and integral to the band's sound. Layered guitar
harmonies are often at the root of each track, and they soar into major chord passages to
juxtapose their minor key riffing.
Just to make this complete, the packaging and artwork from Hydra Head are really
beautiful and unique. Likewise, the production is incredibly sympathetic to the band's strengths. The
sound is clear and loud without imposing a particular flavor onto the mix. A perfect vehicle for a
mesmerizing journey that I plan to go on again and again.
drew
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