Category: Stoner rock

Review: Acid King – Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere (2024 reissue)

First, how awesome is that cover?

Acid King‘s 2015 album, Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere was their first album in nine years and would be their last until eight years later when the newest version of Acid King (with Rafael “Rafa” Martinez on bass and Bill Bowman on drums) would emerge with Beyond Vision.

Vocalist and guitarist Lori S. still had longtime Acid King drummer Joey Osbourne on drums for Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere, and bassist Mark Lamb had been with the band for seven years by this point. All three were clicking and grooving and leveling everything in earshot. They wanted to create something massive for their first album in nearly a decade, and they certainly did it.

In case you’re wondering how big this album is, the “Intro” is almost four minutes long, and it sounds like something you’d hear from a distant star as you were orbiting the moon. Lori S.’s guitar on “Silent Pictures” grows like the rising sun bursting up over a desert mesa and drops you into a different mind state as Lamb’s bass groove moves like an adder across a dune.

“Coming Down from Outer Space” is wonderfully heavy and has Lori S. dropping a slick, downtempo guitar solo right in the middle of crushing riffs. It flows into “Laser Headlights” well, with Lori S.’s guitars sending you almost relentless waves of fuzz. “Red River” is solid desert rock with Osbourne’s drum work on it being some of the best of the album, and Lamb’s bass hitting even harder than Lori S.’s guitar.

If, for some reason, you think the album isn’t heavy enough, Acid King then unleashes “Infinite Skies,” which crushes you from the first notes. “Center of Everywhere” levitates off the desert sands and straight into the stars where you drift toward something that might be a black hole (“Nothing to be found in the center of everywhere.”) or a gate to another plane. The album ends on an instrumental “Outro” that might as well be titled “Outro of Gravity’s Effect on You.”

This was a great return for Acid King, and the 2024 reissue from Blues Funeral Recordings sounds excellent. Get it and get your mind altered.

Keep your mind open.

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Heavy Chicago metal festival returns November 01 – 03, 2024.

Last Rites, Live Wire Lounge and Pabst Blue Ribbon are excited to bring back Heavy Chicago this year for its “Second Edition.”

Heavy Chicago II November 1, 2 and 3 at Avondale Music Hall, which Time Out says is located in one of the buzziest neighborhoods in the world.

There are three levels of 3 day ticketing, a limit of 50 tickets at each level. When the first level $99 all in pricing tickets sell out, the next level tickets kicks in. The second level 3 day ticketing price is $109 and when that sells out, the third level price of $125 kicks in. Take advantage of the advance purchase discount and get your tickets early.

  • First level for 3 day tickets are $99 all fees and taxes included.
  • 2 day tickets start at $89 all fees and taxes included.
  • Single day tickets: Friday $40 plus fees – Saturday & Sunday $50 plus fees

Get Tickets Here: https://www.seetickets.us/event/heavy-chicago-ii/613473

Sean Duffy, owner of Last Rites Promotions and Management companies says “Our inaugural edition last year was a great success! Once again we are in the hip hood of Avondale, which Time Out says is one of the buzziest neighborhoods in the world. We are over the moon to welcome our headliners this year: Friday night is Chicago doom band Bongripper with a co-headline by a local band that will be unveiled on September 8th! Support comes from Wraith (record in the Billboard top 200), Avernus (first show in nine years and a new record) and Motherless (Atlas Moth).

Saturday’s headline rips with the almighty Earth Crisis with special guests Jasta & Legions Of Doom, Grindcore supergroup, EarthBurner, plus The Crosses will be doing a special all “Die Kreuzen” set with the incredible Dan Kubinski on vocals (the only act we brought back from last year), a must see! Usurper are playing their first show in five years!

Sunday finishes strong with Cynic making their long awaited return for Chicago with special guests Toxic Holocaust! I promoted Cynic’s first several Chicago show’s back in the 90’s. It has come full circle for us. Black metal masters, Profanatica, play a rare set in the city. In October we will unveil a special guest that is buzzing right now and becoming local heroes! The Skull also return with a rare appearance and a special set for Trouble fans!

Dave Hornyak and I are the poster guys for “indie” people in the industry. ..the antithesis of Live Nation/AEG/JAM…two indie guys doing it for the passion and fun and to support the metal community. I started 40 years ago doing shows under Last Rites. This is the beginning of my 40th year. Over 4,700 shows booked and promoted here! Indie guy the whole time!! First Nirvana show, first six White Zombie shows, first five Pantera shows, first two Stone Temple Pilot shows, first three Type O Negative shows, Ministry, Machine Head, Helmet, Fear Factory, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Candlemass, plus shows with Anthrax, Misfits, Testament, Exodus, Dark Angel and many, many more. Dave Hornyak, creator of Live Wire Lounge, has been involved in the metal scene for 30+ years as both a drummer in numerous metal bands as well as hosting countless local and national acts at Live Wire since 2011. Over 70 years combined for the two of us!”

+ Don’t Miss The After Show Party at Live Wire Lounge 3394 N. Milwaukee Avenue!

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol announces new tour dates with King Buffalo.

Austin trio Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol today announce even more US tour dates to close out 2024, adding December shows with King Buffalo. The band continues domestic dates this Fall supporting their new album BIG DUMB RIFFS ahead of their performances at Austin City Limits‘ prestigious ACL Fest and Levitation 2024 with The Sword and Pentagram. See all dates below.

Ticket pre-sales start tomorrow, August 7th at 10am local time (password: MAMMOTH) All tickets on sale Friday, August 9th HERE.

The band has also recently joined the roster of Doomstar Bookings for EU & UK touring beginning in Spring 2025.

BIG DUMB RIFFS is available on digital, LP and cassette, released May 10th, 2024. Order/stream the album on all formats HERE.

The band-curated second annual Rickshaw Billie’s BIG DUMB FEST in Austin, TX on June 1st SOLD OUT at Mohawk Austin. This follows a string of sold out dates throughout Texas, Denver, Los Angeles, Brooklyn and more.

“Our catalog has never been short on big dumb riffs, but the idea on this record was to really turn the screw,” says RBBP bassist Aaron Metzdorf. On Big Dumb Riffs, that screw is cranked incredibly tight. 

“We just wanted ‘the part’: The opening of Pantera’s ‘Primal Concrete Sledge’, the breakdown in Primus‘ ‘Pudding Time’ — the shit that makes you move and lose your mind. Just that part the whole time.”

Across 11 concise, taut songs — most clocking in around 2 minutes or less — Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol demonstrates their skillful ability to blend the merciless low end of Leo Lydon’s 8-string guitar, Aaron Metzdorf’s masterful chordwork on the bass, and Sean St.Germain’s driving drumming. 

Hot on the heels of their breakout 5th studio release Doom Wop (2023), Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol returns with Big Dumb Riffs: A whole new variant of the fuzzed out, overdriven, melodic, groovy music they have been making since 2016. While Big Dumb Riffs is decidedly more aggressive and rhythmic, it still retains the overtly melodic feel of Doom Wop. But Leo Lydon’s vocals are considerably more angry and negative (song titles like “1-800-EAT-SHIT” and “Body Bag” should be a clue). 

“The whole writing process was, ‘what if we just played two notes the whole song’,” Metzdorf says. “‘What if we tuned down to almost unusable string tension?’, ‘what if we write a record that will make everyone say ‘wow that is dumb’? Leo and I really move around on stage a lot. Being a dingus is crucial to the groove. All these riffs were designed to allow us to act bigger and dumber on stage.”

Big Dumb Riffs is available on vinyl LP, cassette, download and streaming, released on May 10, 2024. Orders are available HERE.

RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL LIVE 2024:

09/14 Martindale, TX – Duett’s

09/21 Denton, TX – Dan’s Silver Leaf – Burnouts Custom Motorcycle Show

09/25 Lafayette, LA – Freetown Boom Boom Room

09/26 New Orleans, LA – Siberia

09/27 Birmingham, AL – WorkPlay Canteen

09/28 Asheville, NC – Static Age

09/29 Raleigh, NC – Kings Barcade

10/01 Columbus, OH – The Summit

10/02 Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub

10/03 Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle

10/04 Davenport, IA – Raccoon Motel

10/05 Whitewater, WI – Strange LaGrange

10/06 Louisville, KY – Portal

10/07 Chattanooga, TN – JJ’s Bohemia

10/09 Little Rock, AR – Whitewater Tavern

10/13 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits’ ACL Fest

11/03 Austin, TX – Stubb’s – w/ The Sword, Pentagram

12/04 Omaha, NE – Slowdown Front Room *

12/06 Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep *

12/07 Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre *

12/08 Santa Fe, NM – Tumbleroot Brewery *

12/10 Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole *

12/11 Las Vegas, NV – Swan Dive *

12/12 San Diego, CA – The Casbah *

12/13 Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room *

12/14 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s *

12/17 Fort Worth, TX – Tulips *

12/18 Oklahoma City, OK – Resonant Head *

12/19 Kansas City, MO – recordBar *

12/20 St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway *

* w/ King Buffalo

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

Rewind Review: Psychlona – Palo Verde (2022)

I first stumbled upon Psychlona at Las Vegas’ Psycho Music Festival a couple years ago when they were playing on a small stage inside the Mandalay Bay Casino. This quartet from Bradford, UK put down some of the best desert / stoner rock my late wife and I heard all weekend.

They continued the trend on their 2022 album, Palo Verde. Starting with the appropriately titled “Gasoline,” the album blazes fire right out of the gate with roaring guitars and hammering drums best-suited for slamming the accelerator of your muscle car to the floor. “1975” chugs as hard as any psych or heavy rock record you’ll hear from that decade, with outstanding guitar work throughout it. The guitar solo on “Rainbird” makes you stop in your tracks.

It’s only fitting that the doomiest track on the record is titled “Meet Your Devil.” The bass riffs on it are as menacing as Cerberus’ triple-growl. The addition of keyboards / organ on “Purple River” is a great touch and shows how Psychlona can fully embrace psychedelic rock whenever they want.

“Jetplane” has this slight punk edge to it that I love. It’s the chugging, relentless guitar riffs and surf rock-tinged guitar solo in it. “La Tolvanera” (“The Dust Cloud”) drifts one moment and then sand-blasts your face and eardrums the next. “Are you ready to blow?” they ask on “Warped?” Blow what, exactly? Weed? “Blow this place?” This reality? All three? I mean they offer to “Take you outta your mind, outta your head.”, and the powerful riffs only help knock you into another mind-state for a good seven minutes.

Get on this trip. You won’t regret it.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Acid King – Beyond Vision (2023)

One of the biggest surprises for me of 2023 was that stoner metal giants Acid King released a new album – Beyond Vision. Shame on me for taking so long to get to it, because it’s a fine piece of work (and their first since 2015, no less).

The opening drone of “One Light Second Away” is perfect for the album’s cover image of some kind of heavenly cosmic tunnel / path leading to either an all-seeing eye or another reality we can’t yet comprehend. The instruments are subtle, even as they build in power, not overwhelming you right out of the gate. They’re still guiding you along this swirling tunnel of nebulae, planets, monoliths, stars, and lightning.

We’re floating in the astral plane by the time we drift into “Mind’s Eye.” It hits hard in all the ways you want a stoner metal track to hit – crashing drums, deep Earth-heavy bass, wasp’s nest-buzz-menace guitar, and ghost-like vocals. “Transmissions from the sky, from someone left behind. Was it just a sign?” guitarist Lori S. sings on “90 Seconds,” a song of cosmic messages that sounds as ominous as its warnings.

“Electro Magnetic” starts like a giant robot powering up from sleep mode, shaking off cobwebs and dust, and arming its missiles and electro-magnetic power sword for battle in some kind of desolate wasteland. The short “Destination Psych” merges / melts right into the title track, which has Bil Bowman‘s drums landing like mortar shells and Rafa Martinez‘s bass chugging like hydraulic fluid through that giant robot’s metallic veins. The closer, “Color Trails,” is the sound of the giant monster rumbling across the land as the giant robot comes to meet it, missiles streaking across the sky, trees uprooted with each step from both, roars louder than thunder, robed monks watching a prophecy come true from a safe distance.

I love that most of Beyond Vision is instrumental. You can tune in and drop in rather than out. This album drops you into something beyond your current space.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: AAWKS – Heavy on the Cosmic (2022)

I don’t know if I can sum up AAWKS‘ 2022 album better than it’s title track – Heavy on the Cosmic. The album is full of big riffs, cosmic rock, mystical energy, some trippy substances, and other stuff your brain can’t quite define. Heck, the silver orb on the album cover reminds me of the Tall Man’s sphere from the Phantasm films, so there might even be horror movie elements in here.

“Beyond the Sun” begins with a sample of some square cat naming various psychedelic drugs ranging from mescaline to LSD before massive bass and squealing riffs blow off the back of your head. The song is about slipping through time portals to end up in places beyond comprehension…I think. “Sunshine Apparitions” mentions “Sunshine on your tongue.” Take that as you will (or don’t take it at all, if you prefer) and let the stoner metal riffs as powerful as a solar flare wash over you.

“The Woods” has a heavy undertone throughout it, reminding me a bit of some of Psychlona‘s stuff. The opening guitar riff on “All Is Fine” is like the opening of docks on a ship in deep space so an exploration vessel can emerge to check out a weird temple on an asteroid…and then (indicated by the simple, effective high-hat clicks) the temple opens to reveal something akin to what Dave Bowman saw inside the 2001: A Space Odyssey monolith.

“The Electric Traveler” charges forward with crunchy cosmic rock riffs that could power the Mars rover from a hidden bunker three miles below the Earth’s surface. The vocals and fuzz on “Space City” remind me of early Soundgarden tracks. It’s a heavy tune with a weird sense of dread but also wonder (“High above an inverted city…Hazed out of my mind as I watch the sun unwind.”). As heavy as that track is, “Star Collider” is (appropriately, given the title) heavier. The guitar riffs on it chug while the drum beats swing with a bit of a jazz touch, believe it or not. It flows right into the closing track, “Peeling Away,” which strips what few layers of brain matter you have left in your head to get down to the lizard brain portion so you can soak up the heat of AAWKS’ cosmic rays.

Heavy on the Cosmic, indeed. Get onboard AAWKS’ starship and enjoy the ride.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Electric Wizard – Dopethrone (2006)

I think it’s a given that if you find an Electric Wizard album for five bucks, you put down five bucks. That’s what I did when I found their classic third album, Dopethrone, in a Columbus, Ohio record store a couple weeks ago.

The album’s back story is full of drugs, booze, H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard stories, and arguments over which direction the band would take on their newest record. Believe it or not, there were discussions among some band members about trying to sound more like Nirvana or Linkin Park (complete with record scratching – How much drugs were they doing?).

Thankfully, their stuck to their doom roots and created what is now considered a doom / stoner metal classic. The album opens with a sample of someone talking about being able to escape satanic cults only by death or residency in a mental institution before they unload “Vinum Sabbathi” – a sludgy song about drug addiction (“Now I’m a slave to the black drug, forced to serve this black god.”) that almost defies description. Tim Baghsaw‘s bass on it is so heavy it almost crushes you.

The switch to “Funeralopolis” makes you think they’re going to mellow out for a little while, but that thought is short-lived. Jus Oborn‘s guitars on it sound like a hundred buzz saws being operated by drunken orcs while he sings cheerful lyrics like “Millions are screaming, the dead are still living. This earth has died yet no one has seen.” and “Nuclear warheads ready to strike. This world is so fucked let’s end it tonight.” It’s not date night music…unless you’re dating an incubus or succubus, then by all means blast it.

“Weird Tales” is a three-part tale of creepy things and a tribute to Lovecraft and even Weird Tales magazine. Part one is “Electric Frost,” which name checks Yuggoth and Kadath from Lovecraft stories and pays tribute to them through powerful riffs that come at you like a tidal wave. Drummer Mark Greening has said in the past that he always felt the drums on Dopethrone and other Electric Wizard albums could’ve been bigger. That’s difficult to imagine, because his drums almost bludgeon you unconscious over the entire record. “Electric Frost” is a great example. The next two parts, “Golgotha” and “Altar of Melektaus,” are trippy instrumentals with smoky synths that slither like tentacles from shadowy places.

“Barbarian” is, appropriately, a song about Conan and pays great homage to him and his creator (Robert E. Howard) with its battle axe riffs and skull-smashing drums. “I, the Witchfinder” is as gritty and gruesome as its namesake, who delights in torturing maidens suspects of witchcraft. “We Hate You” is a tongue-in-cheek parody of Black Sabbath songs about loving one’s fellow man. The title track is a growling, snarling, savage thing all about…you guessed it, a throne made of weed upon which sit “three wizards crowned with weed.”

This album is about as heavy as a war hammer forged from lead. It’s a wild ride, at times spooky and other times groovy, but always, always heavy.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: King Buffalo – Acheron (2021)

At first glance, you might think King Buffalo‘s Acheron is an EP. It only has four track on it, after all. Then you realize that the four tracks average about ten minutes each, making the album a full cosmic experience. Plus, the whole thing was recorded live in Howe Caverns in New York, giving the album a deeper feel of heaviness and heat.

The title track opens with blazing guitar work from Sean McVay that, as you can imagine, ignites the entire cavern system and probably awakened ancient mystics living in its deepest recesses. “Zephyr,” a song that seems to be about embracing a future that’s already here instead of dwelling on a past that was gone the moment it happened, soars about the cavern and your ears, like a bat gliding over a mountain stream.

“Shadows” is a gorgeous track elevated by Dan Reynolds synthesizer solo setting up McVay’s stalagmite-shaking guitar solo. It must’ve been deafening in that cavern when he played it. The closing track, “Cerberus,” is the crown jewel of the album, hitting hard in all the right spots and altering your mind-space in the others. Reynolds’ bass work is subtle yet stunning, and Scott Donaldson‘s drum work is so nimble that you can barely keep track of the number of fills he fits into one song.

It’s another fine piece in their excellent discography. King Buffalo doesn’t miss. Ever.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Buffalo – Live at Burning Man

Released, and still available, for free on their Bandcamp page, King Buffalo‘s Live at Burning Man is a great capture of them doing what they do best – melting minds and faces, and what better place to do it than the Burning Man Festival during their first trip there?

Starting with a scorching version of “Silverfish,” the trio immediately hook the crowd – many of whom might not have known who they were. It was the first time they’d played the festival, after all. The guitar solo on “Grifter” sounds like a test car racing across a salt flat. People are already shouting, “Love you guys!” by the third song (“Shadows”).

“Longing to Be the Mountain” is their ten-minute-plus psychedelic take on a classic Zen story. “Repeater” is probably on rotation in a Zen retreat on a mountaintop somewhere, as it seems to make you levitate. “Orion,” one of their best-known tracks, absolutely rips here. You can tell that King Buffalo and the Burning Man crowd were feeling it by this point, and everyone knew they were experiencing something special.

“Red Star 1 & 2” is a massive double dose of mind-altering sounds (nearly fifteen minutes in length). “Loam” is trippy and heavy at the same time. The set ends with the epic “Cerberus,” sending the Burning Man crowd back into the desert with visions of things on the horizon they hadn’t noticed before the show began.

King Buffalo are, despite their frequent touring, still a bit of a secret. This live album gives us all another reason to learn their secrets, the number of which seem to increase with each listen and performance.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to King Buffalo!]

Live: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and Edging – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL – February 22, 2024

The last time I saw Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs in Chicago, it was their first time there, let alone their first U.S. tour. It was at Chicago’s Sleeping Village, and there were maybe eighty people there. They flattened that place.

Now they were playing Chicago’s Lincoln Hall and the size of their audience had tripled. There were a small number of us who’d been at the Sleeping Village show, and it seemed only a couple dozen more who knew much about them. I envied their innocence. They had no idea what was about to unleashed on them.

First up, however, were Chicago’s own Edging – a wild post-punk band that my friend described as “They look like a bunch of people who all answered the same ‘looking for a roommate’ ad and then decided to start a band.” It’s accurate, and it somehow works. We only got to see the last three songs of their set, but it was wild and fun, and their saxophone player (around whom the band seems to rotate) plays a crazy horn.

The porcine quintet were next and they started out with a psychedelic version of “GNT” that grew into a menacing beast. They barely let up for a moment, with heavy-hitters like “Rubbernecker” and “Big Rig” flooring those people who didn’t know what to expect.

Some mosh pits started a couple times, but they were short-lived and not well attended. I think this is because people were too amazed at the sheer amount of weight they were dropping on the place to even think of moshing. I, too, noticed how much heavier they were from the first time I’d seen them. Songs like “Mr. Medicine” and “Terror’s Pillow” practically laid on you like a weighted blanket…thrown on you from a fourth-floor balcony.

“Sludgy” was a word I heard multiple times as my friend and I walked out of the venue. People who hadn’t experienced a live Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs show were marveling at the thick, almost viscous sound they’d been pummeled with for a little over an hour (and no encore, as the band said they decided at the start that “Encores are for bullshitters.”)

Don’t miss them. They’re touring the U.S. a lot through the spring. You need this fae-melting stuff in your life to sandblast you out of your doldrums.

Keep your mind open.

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