Sleep - Volume One

On the flipside of the rampage of Megadeth, here's the first Sleep LP. We got somethin' fer e'rey'un at NGNV. While they hadn't really hit their stride here, Sleep as a 4 man unit with Justin Marler playing just post Asbestosdeath, super Sabbath-inspired sludge/stoner doom. It's cool to hear the forming of the Sleep sound here but don't dismiss it as a just a formative album... Or I'll fuck you up. It's heavy man.


Sleep - Volume One

More ATP Electric Wizard

More Electric Wizard @ ATP, May 8th 2009 from Jack Crank on Vimeo.

Zoroaster - The Voice of Saturn

Remember infinity weeks ago when I made that post about checking out Zoroaster in Greenpoint at Europa and said how stoked I was to see them in Atlanta? Well I'm still stoked on that show. Dan and the dudes were super cool to me and my friend Vic (an old friend of theirs from the ATL) and they hooked vic up with their new album as soon as it came out. They played a bunch of stuff off it in their two shows but shit is so soul crushingly loud and heavy you can't really tell which way is up when they're on stage. Anyways, Vic passed me this album last weekend and I'm just getting it up now. (pause).

Jumping in from the first track the only thing I could think was, "Mmmmm... Ambience..." followed almost immediately by "SWEET UNHOLY FUCK! IT'S THE UNRELEASED SLEEP SONG!" That emotion ended pretty fucking quickly as the song mellowed out in to a repetitive, piano riff. I still haven't decided if it bored the hell out of me or got a decent head nod, probably a little of both but it was definitely a kicker that early in the album. Fortunately, as soon as "Spirit Molecule" fired up it was straight back to the snarling THC drenched stoner doom of Sleep and fuck is it good if not overly original. The thing I love, and have always loved about Zoroaster is that they don't fuck around. They do doom. They do it well. When they don't fuck with what works it's good. Period. Occasionally though they stray from the more traditional path and results vary.

Take for example the song "White Dwarf" featuring Brent of Mastodon. If you manage to make it through all 5:24 of that ring modulator atmospheric JO sesh sober then huzzah on you. Fortunately, they dive right back into massive riffage shortly after and don't let up until the end of album. In fact, that's pretty much the only real low point for me besides the somewhat confusing piano.

On a whole, the album winds it's way through some highly agreeable stoner doom that is definitely a different, somewhat more produced (not in a bad way mind you) vibe than Dog Magic or the S/T but give it a listen and enjoy the definite "Sleep-y" vibe.

Zoroaster - Voice of Saturn

Sleep - Holy Mountain & Dopesmoker

A few days ago I sold a bunch of my stuff and dropped a shit ton of money on some plane tickets to get to All Tomorrow's Parties to see Sleep play. Well... Sleep, Electric Wizard, Lords, Jesu, and the fucking Jesus Lizard amongst others. But really, the first order of business is Sleep. It's a good fucking day when the first order of business is Sleep.

So, while dicking around on the internet today I just found out that not only is Sleep playing 2 days. But their line up is supposed to be something like:

Day 1: All of Holy Mountain, front to back
Day 2: All of Jerusalem, front to back + a newly completed unreleased song from back in the day

FUCK ME MOTHERFUCKERS! DID YOU JUST READ THAT SHIT! ALL OF HOLY MOUNTAIN AND ALL OF JERUSALEM! THAT'S LIKE BEING CRUSHED TO FUCKING UNDER THE WORLD'S MOST MASSIVE FUCKING ANVIL FULL OF FUCKING DRUGS AND RIFFAGE! IT'S LIKE AN WEED ANVIL PINATA OF FUCKING DOOM HANGING 3 INCHES ABOVE YOUR HOLLOW SQUISHY DOMEPIECE READY TO ANNIHILATE YOU AT THE FIRST SWING OF THE BAT AXE!

In honor of the fact that I will soon be able to kick the bucket a happy man, here's all of Holy Mountain and all of Dopesmoker (the 2003 release with the live version of Sonic Titan). yessssssss........

This is the point that all other awesome 90's doom sprung from/around. The Magnum Dopus if you will. Hit this shit.

Sleep - Holy Mountain

Sleep - Dopesmoker

EDIT: DOPESMOKER IS BACK UP. RE-DOWNLOAD WITHOUT DRM NOW.

Nanda Devi - Sludgefuckedintheear shit of the day

Yo just found out about this band Nanda Devi outta Portland (wow a doom band from the PNW, who the fuck woulda guessed?). Superheavy sludge with a damn good riff holding it all down. Occasionally gets not-quite "ambient" but definitely has a good solid/on off. If you're into the Eyehategod vox with a little heavier groove check this out.

Nanda Devi's Myspace

Bongzilla - Gateway

Sticking with the stoner doom vibe I had going yesterday I'm upping some Bongzilla. There is little in this world more satisfying than mercilessly heavy, totally riffed out, stoner doom sludge. The kings of weed from Madison, WI drop the heaviest album about weed (and nothing but weed. Seriously, read the lyrics) ever. Turn on and tune out.

Click Pic for DL.

Saint Vitus - Born Too Late

So Mondays generally suck for those involved in the office working week. What better way to get through it than slamming some fucking Vitus. The godfathers of modern doom stagger through this masterpiece of depression, pills, self-loathing, dragons, and fear at drowning in molasses speed. Wino's vox are totally clean and all the guitars sound like mother smothering an infant with a pillow of fuzz.

If you like it sludgy, hop on this shit. Oh yeah, it also has the best fucking Black Flag cover of all time. Don't miss it.

Click Pic fo DL