Rock – Page 107 – 7th Level Music

Hannah Georgas’ “Dreams” is indeed dreamy.

Earlier this year Toronto’s Hannah Georgas shared a pair of singles “That Emotion” and “Same Mistakes,” — the first released in early March just before the scale of our pandemic crises had become clear, the second a month ago at the height of quarantine. The first sampling of a forthcoming collaboration with producer Aaron Dessner of The National, the singles received a rapturous response from outlets like The FADER, Stereogum, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, American Songwriter, BrooklynVegan, Exclaim, World Cafe and Consequence of Sound who dubbed her “a new generation’s Feist.”

Today, Georgas is announcing of her new album All That Emotion, a full length collaboration with Dessner that is due out September 4th on Brassland & Arts & Crafts. and sharing her new single “Dreams.” LISTEN to “Dreams” here“I have been thinking about what this album represents to me and it is resilience,” says Hannah. “It’s about finding hope and a way out the other side of tough situations. The hardships we go through make us grow into stronger people. The album is about healing, self reflection and getting up again at the end of the day.”

Of newly released single “Dreams” she writes: “In my past, I have let my insecurities play into relationships and have pushed people away because I have felt like I’m not deserving of love. This song explores the idea of breaking down those barriers of insecurity and being more open.”——Hannah Georgas began creating the album ALL THAT EMOTION about a year after the release of her celebrated 2016 album FOR EVELYN—starting with an intensive process of writing and demoing songs in her Toronto apartment, and finishing with a month long retreat in Los Angeles. She began the record making process in the middle of 2018 when she traveled to Long Pond, the upstate New York studio & home of producer Aaron Dessner of The National.

“Before each session, I would make the long drive from Toronto to Hudson Valley in Upstate New York.” Says Hannah. “It was really special getting the opportunity to work in such a remote space with Aaron and Jon and I was always itching to get back whenever we had breaks. At the same time, I appreciated the space in between and coming back with fresh ears.” Hannah continues, “Aaron and I agreed the production needed to bring out the truth in my voice. During these sessions we musically found a new depth and, vocally, a delivery that was more raw and expressive, allowing the emotional texture of each song to shine through.”

The writing of the album found Hannah creating her most personal album to date. “ALL THAT EMOTION’s album cover is an old family photo,” says Hannah. “I love the image because it captures this calm confidence. It looks like people are watching a performance and it seems like he’s diving in without a second thought. Similarly, I find that it parallels the approach needed within art. The calm confidence of expressing yourself without the thought of consequence, regardless of anyone watching.”

On the album, you’ll hear about bad habits and prayerful families—right and wrong love—mistakes and moving on—casual cruelty and most of all, change. Plotting the boundaries of where to place this music it’s emotionally fraught but warm & fuzzy. “An indie-minded avant-pop artist” was the Boston Globe’s formulation for her charms. Think of Fleetwood Mac meets The National; Kate Bush-sized passion with the earthiness of Cat Power or Aimee Mann. The album grows inside you and sticks to your insides. The songs are big tent anthems, rough at the edges but relatable.

Hannah continues: “I still have long conversations with my friends over the phone, talking about love and relationships, pain and heartbreak, our upbringings and the hardships that come along with that.” In an era of social media quips and hollow memes, maybe it’s this kind of one-on-one contact a form of communication worth getting back to?

“In this way, I get a lot of lyrical inspiration through the individuals I interact with in my everyday life,” she says. “Then music becomes the forum where I work out these feelings, embrace and express pain and love, joy and anger, frustration and fear and hope. It’s where I can be uncensored, not hold back, and say what I want to say. In that way, making music is a cathartic and cleansing process. It’s always the best feeling when someone tells me my music has helped them out in some way. That keeps me going.”All That Emotion will be released September 4, 2020 on Arts & Crafts/Brassland. It is available for preorder here.

Track List
1. That Emotion – video
2. Easy
3. Dreams – video
4. Pray It Away
5. Someone I Don’t Know
6. Punching Bag
7. Same Mistakes – video
8. Just A Phase
9. Habits
10. Change
11. Cruel

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[Thanks to Tom at Hive Mind PR.]

The Beths’ new single literally and figuratively is “Out of Sight.”

The Beths share “Out of Sight,” a new single from their highly-anticipated sophomore album, Jump Rope Gazers, out July 10th on Carpark Records. The band performed the single on their “Live From House 3” live stream last night. It follows previously released singles “I’m Not Getting Excited” and “Dying to Believe.”

“Out of Sight” is tender and shoegazing. It reckons with the distance that drives people apart and how those who love each other inevitably fail each other. The best way to repair that failure, in The Beths’ view, is with abundant and unconditional love, no matter how far it has to travel.

Elizabeth Stokes says, “The band playing on ‘Out Of Sight’ is more fragile than we usually allow ourselves to be. We are trying to listen more deeply and be more open ended, it was confronting to do and sometimes even frustrating. But it came out great, Ben’s bass playing especially is beautifully melodic and gives the song a unique texture.”

The accompanying video directed by Ezra Simons was filmed on Super 8 film and shows the band birdwatching amongst the brush. Archival footage of birds native to New Zealand are woven throughout. Simons says, “The goal was to create a nostalgic and timeless roadtrip video where the band goes off in search of native birds, but instead finds each other.”

Watch “Out of Sight” Video

The Beths are Elizabeth Stokes (vocals/guitar), Jonathan Pearce (guitar), Benjamin Sinclair (bass), and Tristan Deck (drums). Jump Rope Gazers is the follow-up to Future Me Hates Me, “one of the most impressive indie-rock debuts of the year” (Pitchfork). The album received glowing praise and appeared on many year-end lists including Rolling Stone, NPR, Stereogum, and more.

Jump Rope Gazers tackles themes of anxiety and self-doubt with effervescent power pop choruses and rousing backup vocals, zeroing in on the communality and catharsis that can come from sharing stressful situations with some of your best friends. Touring far from home, The Beths committed to taking care of each other while simultaneously trying to take care of friends living thousands of miles away. That care and attention shines through on Jump Rope Gazers, where the quartet sounds more locked in than ever. Jump Rope Gazers stares down all the hard parts of living in communion with other people, even at a distance, while celebrating the ferocious joy that makes it all worth it.
Watch “Out of Sight” Video

Watch “I’m Not Getting Excited” VideoWatch “Dying to Believe” Video

“Live From House” live streams

Pre-Order Jump Rope Gazers

The Beths Tour Dates (tickets):
Sat. July 11 – Auckland, NZ @ Power Station
Sun. Nov 8 – Perth, WA @ HBF Park*
Wed. Nov. 11 – Melbourne, VIC @ Marvel Stadium*
Sat. Nov. 14 – Sydney, NSW @ Bankwest Stadium*
Tue. Nov. 17 – Brisbane, QLD @ QSAC Stadium*
Fri. Nov. 20 – Dunedin, NZ @ Forsyth Barr Stadium*
Sun. Nov. 22 – Auckland, NZ @ Mt Smart Stadium*
Tue. March 30 – Southampton, UK @ The Loft
Wed. March 31 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Thu. April 1 – Manchester, UK @ Club AcademyFri. April 2 – Glasgow, UK @ Saint Luke’s
Sat. April 3 – Dublin, IE @ The Workman’s Club
Mon. April 5 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Tue. April 6 – Birmingham, UK @ Castle and Falcon
Wed. April 7 – London, UK @ O2 Kentish Town
Thu. April 8 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
Fri. April 9 – Paris, FR @ Point Éphémère
Sat. April 10 – Lyon, FR @ Marché Gare – Hors les murs
Sun. April 11 – Milan, IT @ BIKO
Tue. April. 13 – Düdingen, CH @ Bad Bonn
Wed. April 14 – Lausanne, CH @ Le Romandie
Thu. April 15 – Munich, DE @ Kranhalle
Fri. April 16 – Vienna, AT @ B72
Sat. April 17 – Prague, CZ @ Underdogs’ BallroomSun. April 18 – Belin, DE @ Lido
Tue. April 20 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega Ideal Bar
Wed. April 21 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow
Thu. April 22 – Cologne, DE @ Artheater
Fri. April 23 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord
Sun. April 25 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique

*w/ Green Day, Weezer and Fall Out Boy

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

New Fries’ newest single is a funky cut for freaky times.

New Fries are sharing their latest single, the mind-bending, genre-defying, tongue-twisting “Arendt / Adler / Pulley Pulley Pulley Pulley“, the second single from their new album Is The Idea Of Us. Out on August 7th through Telephone Explosion, it is the band’s first new material since 2016’s More, which saw them team up with Holy Fuck‘s Graham Walsh.

LISTEN: to New Fries’ “Arendt / Adler / Pulley Pulley Pulley Pulley” on YouTube

On the new track, the band offered, “Something about the women obscuring their gender and traditional roles (intentionally or otherwise) to do their work without interruption or expectation. Being contrarians, shrill. Seeking truth without taking care of emotions. Often their work is forensic, razor-sharp, and bright with clarity.“.

The Toronto-based experimental No-Wave inspired band are one of the best kept secrets in the city, and with their new album they delve deeper into their unconventional, ever-changing sound. They worked closely withCarl Didur (Zacht Automaat, formerly U.S. Girls), resulting in a new direction, focusing more on space and repetition, finding the in-between and reflecting on it, examining that transition. Is The Idea Of Us is anxious in its repetitions and unsure of genre, a reflection of musicians and non-musicians making music together; New Fries insist on doing it differently.

Is The Idea Of Us is out on August 7th on Telephone Explosion. It is available for pre-order here.

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[Thanks to Conor at Hive Mind PR.]

Review: Public Practice – Gentle Grip

The cover art of Public Practice‘s debut full-length album, Gentle Grip, is intriguing. It’s an abstract / pop art image of a woman’s head, eyes closed, lips and teeth parted in either a breathy sigh or ready for an embrace…and there’s that hand. A right hand with fingernails painted to match the woman’s lipstick has a (gentle?) grip on the back of where her neck would be. Is it the woman’s hand, giving herself a soothing neck massage? Or is it someone else’s, pushing her forward to something she wants but was hesitant to embrace without a little help?

I might be making too much of it, but the image is as intriguing as the album. The opening synth-bass and echoed guitars of “Moon” immediately hurl you into Blade Runner territory while singer / lyricist Samantha York sings of leaving this world for better things, but thinking things might not be better in the off-world colonies after all. Drummer Scott Rosenthal mixes hypnotic floor tom beats with wild full-kit drum fills to jar you out of the mesmerism that York can expertly cast upon the unwary (or, often, more than willing) listener.

The contrasting upbeat pace of “Cities” is a delightful surprise, reflecting the bustle of city life as York sings about the dark sides of some places needing to be brought to light. “Disposable” was one of the first songs released from Public Practice (in October 2019) – and with good reason. Drew Citron‘s bass thumps in your blood and Vince McClelland‘s guitar work is like a shuriken spinning toward you with multiple points. York sings about being careful what you wish for and how “You have it or you don’t.”

The tempo of “Each Other” is wonderfully bumpy and jagged. The whole feel of “Underneath” is undeniably sexy thanks to Citron’s excellent bass line and the vocal mix she and York. Rosenthal puts down a slick Blondie-like beat and McClelland’s guitar work is deceptively tight. “See You When I Want To” is a fun track – as the whole thing, including York’s lyrics, was improvised. “My Head” would’ve been a disco classic in another era. The song’s about creating a dance club in your head to tune out the 24-hour barrage of noise coming at us, so it’s perfect.

The first single off Gentle Grip, “Compromised,” is about the rough road of moral choices. “You don’t want to live a lie, you don’t want to pick a side, you don’t want to compromise. You don’t want to live a life, but it’s easy,” York sings while the rest of the band just cooks throughout the whole track. “I thought this would all fade away. Didn’t know you would stay so angry. I thought it was just a passing phase. Sure we could crawl to an understanding,” York, puzzled, sings on “Understanding” – a sharp post-punk track with McClelland’s guitar ranting like a drunk on a street corner (and I mean that in the best possible sense – McClelland’s mini-solos sound like mini-stories within the story of York’s lyrics.).

In a clever twist, the song “Leave Me Alone” might be the sexiest song on the record. The groove of it slinks around the room like a femme fatale convincing a hard-boiled detective to take the case of her missing husband. It’s the album cover in aural form. McClelland saves some of this wildest guitar work for “How I Like It” – which he also sings. It sounds like he stuck a Tesla coil in his guitar. “Hesitation,” the album’s closer, on the other hand, repeats the same three notes and creates a post-punk (and slightly goth?) banger.

There aren’t a lot of bands out there willing to experiment like Public Practice, which is a shame because the time is ripe for experimentation. We need intriguing records like Gentle Grip that nudge us toward things we want (not material things, mind you, but things like healthy relationships, self-care, and joy) when we need that guidance the most.

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Review: The Wants – Container

Before COVID-19 floated across the country and shut down music venues and tours everywhere, I was lucky enough to catch The Wants on tour with BODEGA. Two of The Wants, guitarist / lead vocalist Madison Velding-VanDam and bassist / vocalist Heather Elle, are BODEGA members. I got to speak with Wants drummer Jason Gates after the show and he told me they’d been working on their full-length debut, Container, for a long while and were proud of it.

As they should be, because it’s a sharp post-punk / new wave / no wave album that everyone should hear. Opening instrumental track “Ramp” starts off with what sounds like half-melted tapes being played backwards before it adds synthwave layers and instantly intriguing guitar licks. The title track has Velding-VanDam singing about compressing emotion, desire, and even human contact into something manageable or easily hidden (“Watch him, pull him apart, can he fit in a container?”). The song now in the wake of self-isolation, which put us all in our own containers / homes against our will, is doubly powerful (and it was already massive with Velding-VanDam’s brash riffs, Elle’s thudding bass, and Gates’ killer beat).

After another brief instrumental (“Machine Room”), Velding-VanDam again reveals himself as a bit of a prophet on “Fear My Society” as he sings, “I don’t need my society. I can feel my society bringing me down.” Elle’s backing vocals add a haunted layer to the track, and the whole thing reminds me of early 1990’s Brian Eno recordings. Lead single “The Motor” (which seems to be a song about working well under pressure – perhaps in the bedroom) has some of Gates’ sharpest chops and Velding-VanDam’s guitar seems to come at your from at least four different directions.

I love that The Wants (and any band) include instrumental tracks, especially ones like the three-and-a-half minute “Aluminum” – a weird, yet catchy soundscape that goes well with the following cut – “Ape Trap” (a song about being caught somewhere and refusing to let go of what’s keeping you miserable in that space). “I’m craving science fiction, so I’ll no longer do your dishes while I beat my head on the walls of my ape trap,” Velding-VanDam sings in perhaps my favorite line on the album (and Elle’s wicked bass curls around you like a purring cat).

The hissing and thumping “Waiting Room” could easily slide into the score of John Carpenter film. Elle’s opening bass on “Clearly a Crisis” gets your whole body moving while Velding-VanDam sings about being wary of moving forward in a relationship (“There’s clearly a crisis. This attraction’s inescapable, so I hide myself…”). The sparse breakdown about halfway through the track and the subsequent shoegaze tidal wave afterward are outstanding. “Nuclear Party” has a great early B-52’s sound to it (especially the way Velding-VanDam’s guitar seems to stumble around the room). Elle’s bass and Gates’ drums on “Hydra” are dance floor-ready and Velding-VanDam’s vocals remind me of Cy Curnin‘s (of The Fixx) vocal style. The album ends with another long, and somewhat creepy, instrumental – “Voltage.”

Container is an impressive debut that is not a BODEGA spin-off. Both bands are outstanding in their own right, and both bands tackle some similar subjects in their lyrics (the often bizarre natures of relationships, sex, and technology, for example), but The Wants are just as happy to stand back in the shadows and watch the party as they are to jump into the middle of it.

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Kestrels’ new single “Grey and Blue” features J. Mascis and a wall of shoegaze sound.

On Dream or Don’t Dream, Halifax’s Kestrels live out a guitar freak’s wildest fantasies. The supercharged shoegaze rockers’ fourth full-length album features spellbinding mixing from John Agnello(Sonic Youth, Alvvays, Kurt Vile, Cyndi Lauper) and mastering engineer Greg Calbi (David Bowie, Lou Reed, Television, Blondie). Together, they constructed a towering devotional to tone with blazing riffs, powerhouse drums, and swooning hooks emerging from an enveloping haze.

WATCH: Kestrels’ “Grey and Blue” feat. Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis video on YouTube

The first single, “Grey and Blue” is a fuzzy, reverb drenched power-pop track featuring soaring solos from Dinosaur Jr‘s J Mascis. Guitarist and vocalist Chad Peck explained, “”Grey and Blue” is a song about being carefully and uncharacteristically optimistic and vulnerable. This song came at the end of a really rough period in my life and it captures the nervous excitement of that time. My thinking tends to get narrow and shallow during bad periods, and when I feel things start to change it’s almost overwhelming; I’m not sure if I should trust it, but I have to push forward anyway. It’s a good feeling when you meet someone who makes you feel like your eyes can open a little wider and makes the echos skip through your brain.”

Dream Or Don’t Dream was largely written on the sofa of Ash‘s Tim Wheeler, but Wheeler is not the only guitar aficionado that Peck has in his contact list. “J Mascis plays two solos on this song. It’s still weird to say that out loud,” Peck explains. “We opened for Dinosaur Jr at this wild secret show in Amherst, MA. I met Luisa, J’s wife, and his longtime engineer Justin Pizzoferrato there. Luisa invited us over to their place and J gave us a tour of his studio and just kept handing me different guitars to try out (“This was what I used when I recorded “Out There”…). It was surreal. When we were tracking this song, Justin mentioned that it would be a good song for J to play on and he set it up for me. Thanks Justin! Thanks J! He did 7 takes and they are all incredible. Maybe I’ll release the other 6 takes someday.”

Dream Or Don’t Dream is out on July 10th on Darla Records. It is available for pre-order here.

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[Thanks to Hive Mind PR.]

The Death Wheelers crush us with “Divine Filth” on their new single.

Canadian heavy rock instrumentalists The Death Wheelers share a video single for the title track to their forthcoming album Divine Filth via Metal Injection. Watch and share the B-movie ode “Divine Filth” HERE (or on YouTube.) Hear & share the single via Bandcamp.

From beyond the gutter, The Death Wheelers bring you their second album, the soundtrack to the fictional bikesploitation flick that never was: Divine Filth. Drawing inspiration from instrumental rock, proto-metal, punk and funk, the band embalms the listener in their sonic world of decay, groove and debauchery. Surfing the line between Motörhead, The Cramps and Dick Dale, the Canadian quartet uncompromisingly blends rawness and power in their riff fueled compositions. Recorded entirely in 48 hours in a live setting just like in the good old days, this second opus is a testament to what the band stands for: a no BS attitude spiked with a heavy layer of crass. Just like their previous offering, the album is devised to serve as a soundtrack loosely based on a plot synopsis of a B-movie:

It’s 1982. Spurcity is run-down. The crime rate is up and so is drug use. A new kind of kick has hit the streets and it ain’t pretty. DTA, a powerful and highly addictive hallucinogenic drug, is transforming its loyal citizens into undead trash. Its users experience an indescribable high, but it leaves them rotting away within days, craving human flesh. No one knows who is dealing this new potent drug, but rumour has it that the motorcycle cult, The Death Wheelers, is behind this concoction. Could this be the end of civilization as we know it? What is motivating this group of psychotic individuals?

The cycle of violence indeed continues with this sordid slab of sounds. So hop on, and enjoy one last ride with The Death Wheelers.

Divine Filth will be available on LP, CD and download on September 11th, 2020 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at RidingEasyRecs.com.

On The Web: ridingeasyrecs.com

facebook.com/thedeathwheelersband

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[Thanks to Riding Easy Records.]

Rewind Review: Minami Deutsch – With Dim Light (2018)

“They’re a Japanese band that plays krautrock,” is essentially the first description I read of Minami Deutsch after I heard they were going to play the 2019 Levitation Music Festival. I was immediately intrigued by this notion and decided to look up some music by the band. I heard a couple tracks from their 2018 album With Dim Light and was intrigued further. Their blend of krautrock rhythms and Japanese psychedelic music was a neat combination. Seeing them live at Levitation 2019 was the deal-sealer. They put on one my favorite performances of the festival weekend and I knew I had to hear With Dim Light in its entirety. I learned they are far more than “a Japanese band that plays krautrock.”

Keita Ise‘s opening bass line on “Concrete Ocean” is an unexpected, but more-than-welcome post-punk element that drips into a wicked drum lick and guitars by Kyotaro Miula and Taku Idemoto that incorporate jazz and surf elements. “Tangled Yarn” adds some shoegaze to their 1960’s psychedelia, with Miula’s vocals being reverbed almost to the back of the room and his guitar echoing off the walls to hit you from every angle.

“Tunnel” was the first Minami Deutsch song I ever heard and was the cause of my desire to find more. The instant urgency of the guitar and beat hook you from the outset. It’s like the anticipation before a chase that breaks into a wild scene running through a dark city street, a foggy nightclub, a backroom mahjong game, a modern art gallery, and an aquarium. “I’ve Seen a U.F.O.” has some of Ise’s fuzziest bass alongside slightly muted drums. Miula’s vocals are barely perceptible, preferring to highlight the bass, drums, and guitars instead of the other way around.

The slow, acoustic start to “Bitter Moon” is a wild contrast to the psychedelic freakout of the previous track, but it’s more of a slow drift at the end of a race than an abrupt stomping of the brake. The closer, “Don’t Wanna Go Back,” has a cool, bouncy guitar riff all the way through it while Ise roots the track with an unstoppable groove and the high-hat / snare work is as crisp as an oyster cracker.

With Dim Light is more than krautrock. It’s krautrock, shoegaze, psychedelia, surf rock, and even bits of garage rock. It’s also worth your time. I hope they release more music soon.

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Rewind Review: Here Lies Man – self-titled (2017)

The debut, self-titled album by Here Lies Man from 2017 was unlike a lot of rock that came before it. Their music was described with a simple question, “What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat?” It’s a question to make you ask, “Wait…What?” Once you hear HLM, however, you think, “Yep, this is what it would sound like.”

The massive opening riffs of the album on “When I Come To” (the only lyrics in the song, by the way, apart from “Oh God! Wake up!”) grab you by the neck and shake you, and the organ stabs only serve to make you quake further. The African rhythms are immediately apparent and are downright infectious. Those beats roll like a bubbling river on “I Stand Alone.” The drum breakdown halfway through the track is outstanding.

“Eyes of the Law” brings the funky organ to the forefront, and “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” covers one of HLM‘s favorite topics – death (“Your life ain’t goin’ nowhere…You ain’t goin’ nowhere.”). “Letting Go” grooves so hard it will stop you in your tracks as HLM sings about leaving this world to find better things beyond, embracing the beauty of impermanence. “Let go or be dragged,” as the Zen proverb says. The mostly instrumental “So Far Away” is a trippy track, and the African rhythms are back in full swing on “Belt of the Sun” (and check out those wicked organ riffs!). The echoing organ stabs, Superfly-like bass, chant-like drums, and fuzzed-out guitar on the closing title track all combine for a killer ending to a killer debut.

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Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Live in Paris ’19

Recorded at L’Olympia in Paris, France October 14, 2019, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard‘s Live in Paris ’19 is one of three live albums they released for animal welfare charities during the massive wildfires sweeping Australia (many of which, by the way, are still burning). All proceeds from these albums go to these charities, and all three were released well before KGATLW‘s “official” live album – Chunky Shrapnel (review coming soon).

You can tell right away that the Parisian crowd is ready to go nuts from the opening notes. The show starts with the instrumental “Evil Star” before breaking into a sprint with “Venusian 2” and “Perihelion” from Infest the Rats’ Nest. “Perihelion” hits the hardest of the two. “Crumbling Castle” is the second longest track on the album (at nearly nine minutes), and the crowd never stops cheering for it the entire time. It tears into “The Fourth Colour” so fast it almost makes your head spin.

“Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet” and “The Castle in the Air” are a great pairing to slow things down just a touch before the rocking “Muddy Water.” “People Vultures” is a crowd favorite (as is anything from Nonagon Infinity, really) and sounds like it’s almost at double the normal speed. The swing of “Mr. Beat” is always fun to hear live. Hearing the crowd sing along to Stu Mackenzie‘s opening flute on “Hot Water” is delightful.

They’re grooving ands swinging on “This Thing.” “Billabong Valley” is always a crowd favorite as Ambrose Kenny-Smith takes over on lead vocals to sing a tale of a gunman. “Nuclear Fusion” is a personal favorite because of the cool Middle Eastern microtonal groove of the whole thing. “Anoxia,” the always rocking “All Is Known,” and the always hip-moving “Boogieman Sam” follow, and the show wraps up with a dive back into thrash metal with another personal favorite – “Mars for the Rich” and then over twelve minutes of the wild, swirling, mind-melting “Am I in Heaven?” – which contains bits of “Altered Beast” and “Cyboogie” as well.

You might think that after this whirlwind of an album is finished – just like any show by these wacky fellas.

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