Dead Man and Sinister Creation- Ungdomshuset, Københvn 9/23/11

This was a really fun night. It was Martin’s 30^th birthday so nearly all of the Danish folks that go to Roadburn were all gathered together. 30mins before the show, there was cake and a small drink and Martin got some gifts from many of us. Nice guy. Sinister Creation, a local Copenhagen Doom rock band started a little after 10 and played a pretty short set with two new songs. One called 42^nd street and I am not sure what the last one was but I did record it. See the video below. They have some great riffs and sound a lot like bands like Pentagram, Witchfinder General, that style of stuff. There are not a lot of guitar solos and Martin is not that good a vocalist yet (but a really good frontman), so it is mainly based on power riffs and solid playing. The band is solid but not offering anything new to this genre of music. They need to add some more interesting twists to the songs, some jam parts, some effects on the vocal every now and then, something to mix it up and distinguish themselves from the crowd otherwise they won’t go far.

          Dead Man from Sweden was next and I had not seen this line up with only one member from the original band. They had a new 7” release out and played both new songs as well as a great selection of stuff from both records such as Goin’ over the Hill, Highway, The Wheel, etc.. That band was really excellent and pretty much blew me away. I was really in the mood for this. The new band is excellent and the bass playing was super cool. They remind me of a mix of CCR, Grateful Dead and other 60s acts. Powerful singing, lots of long more instrumental parts with some great guitar solos as well. I am not sure how long they played but I guess an hour or so.

Set List: The Wheel, I, Rest in Peace, I must be Blind, Get off my Back, A pinch of Salt, Highway, Goin’ over the Hill, ??

          After that I was not all that interested in the Swedish band Pyramido and it was hot and too smoky and very loud inside so we hung out outside and had another beer and talked with the guys in Dead Man. I only saw the last two songs and they had a lot of energy and aggression. Some people were really into it for sure.. Hope you had a nice birthday Martin!  People were having a great time and Jens was the metal DJ and playing all sorts of classic stuff. I had a nice night out with friends. 

Wow.. Omnia Opera are back with a new CD after 16 years! Second Skin, the 2^nd track on this CD was from the band lead by the lead guitarist Rob Lloyd, who made a couple of cassette releases called Omnia after Omnia Opera split up in the 90s. This is self produced and released in a really nice double gatefold digipack with really cool psychedelic collages on the inside and also on the CD sleeves. There is also a large booklet with all the lyrics and a band picture collage. Great package. There is 2hrs of space rock on these 2 CDs in 18 tracks. Some of the tracks really blow me away like Nothing is Ordinary and Big Brother! Liquid Underground has a real GONG feeling at times and Pictures on the News is a more uptempo space rock track with a great bass line. The ambient pieces that tie the more rocking stuff are also really cool. This is a very impressive return to form for a band I thought was long gone. For sure one of my favorites this year, being the old space rocker that I am.

http://www.omniaopera.co.uk

Wight- Wight Weedy Wight LP + 7” (Bildcation 1)

Wight is a new German trio that plays total 70s style rock with a Sabbathy side to them and they like long tracks. There are only a total of 6 tracks on this LP + 7”. I got lucky to get one of the 200 copies on red vinyl with the 7”. Side A starts off with the instrumental Cosmic Rhythm #1 which starts slowly with some bells and the guitar slowly enters with a heavy riff that is repeated over and over for a while before the track really takes off with some killer guitar soloing to take it to a whole new level with a great mix of guitars in both channels. All beyond the Piend of Being is next and this is a long very early Black Sabbath inspired track (to start), like something from the first record, with some very passionate singing and cool spacey wah guitar and later on the band space out a bit more with some cool delay guitar stuff. Very cool song. Flip the record over and you start with Let me know when you found GOD, which starts with a slow heavy riff like something like early Count Raven or Black Sabbath. There is even a guitar solo only section a bit like the Warning. Cool…  The title track features some intense wah guitar as it slowly build up in intensity again with some great layered guitars in both channels. A great debut record. For those who get the first press you will also get the 7” record with two tracks (it plays on 33 rpm). The first one Shawman Woman, has a very intense vocal but is also a damn cool track and reminds me a bit of Dzjeghis Khan. Hammer Boogie is a pretty cool blues rocker and reminds me of Church of Misery with a very cool and surprising saxophone solo! Overall, this is great stuff for those who like slower, more spacey, heavy doom rock with lots of nice guitar parts and solo. Impressed.

http://www.kozmik-artifactz.de  http://wightismnews.blogspot.com/

Void Generator- Collision CD-EP (Phonosphera Records ph03)

The great Italian band, Void Generator are back with a new two song EP and the first long 16 min track sounds like nothing the band has ever done before! This track really blew my mind! It has all kinds of cool elements of psychedelia, jazz and rock. It starts off with an eastern like sufi singing intro with a drone, hand cymbals and then the guitar really takes over as it builds up into a a very cool collage of sound and great improvised spaced out parts that go into jazzy Santana like stuff and the more heavy ending section. The title track is recorded live (sounds like a very good audience recording) and takes a while to build up and sounds like something Motorpsycho would record. Really nice Rhodes-piano parts on this as well as the opening track. Sadly, the guitar solo part is really buried in the mix. It seems that sound men also in Italy think that hearing the drums is the most important thing as they also dominate on this recording. Really excellent stuff and a totally new direction for the band.

http://www.myspace.com/phonosphera  http://www.myspace.com/voidgenerator

Vibravoid- Live at Burg Herzberg Festsival 2011 (Herzberg Verlags V-HB-40)

This release really came as a surprise for me when it dropped in the mail. Vibravoid released a double CD last year from their really cool performance at Berg Herzberg so I was not expecting this at all. This one is coming out on CD and double vinyl, where as last years was only released as a double CD. There is only one song repeated during this set compared to last years concert, which is really cool. The opening track Save my Soul is really great and a cool emotional track to start with. The next several tracks have that cool 60s vibe with the farfisa organ and fuzzy guitar. The CD really starts to take off with the amazing and long jammed out Ballspeaker. Christian is a brilliant guitar player and plays some totally killer psychedelic guitar stuff. The single, You keep on Falling is also a long and great version. The concert and CD ends with a 20min version of Pink Floyd’s Set the Control for the heart of the Sun and it is very authentic to the vibe of the original. The double vinyl version has one extra track. It is limited to 500 copies.  Great stuff.

http://www.herzbergverlag.de http://www.vibravoid.com

Premonition 13- 13 (Volcoment 02898-2)

Wino has yet another new band called Premonition 13. This is the bands first full length record after the debut 7” that came out earlier this year. Wino plays all the guitars and sings on the records, while live the band has two guitar players in order to play these songs. Beauty starts side A with some really nice spacey, and even backwards guitar layers before the vocals kick in. This is a very cool spacey song. Hard to Say is a hard rocking song that sounds more like some of his other bands but I like the dual layers of psychedelic guitars on this one. Great track but short. Clay Pigeons has a riff like Spirit Caravan era material and features a ripping wah solo. Senses is a slower short track.  Side B starts off with the La Hechicera de al Jeringa prelude, which is quite spacey and then the real song of the same title kicks in and starts with a nice guitar solo with a bit of delay on it. This is a long, slow, emotional and heavy track. The end section has some spaced out guitar barried underneath the slow doomy riif. Deranged Rock n’ Roller is a mid paced rocker with some dirty, gritty guitar and occasional slide guitar. Great guitar on this track. Modern Man starts with a pretty guitar and then the monster guitar riff kicks in. This is one of those catchy tracks with a sung chorus. Sounds like it was written about the time he did is Adrift record. Peyote Road ends this damn cool record and has a lot of nice melodic guitars and I like the double tracking section. Cool and different song. All those people who were describing this record as influenced by King Crimson and progressive rock are way off the mark, this is solid WINO just a bit more spacey, melodic, more time changes and not so angry but pure WINO..

http://www.premonition13.com/ http://www.volcoment.com

Peace Frog #3 Psychedelic Fanzine

 I was not really familiar with this fanzine but wow, this is great stuff. There are not many printed mags out there anymore and this one has great interviews with Baby Woodrose, Sula Bassana, The Movements, Magnificent Brotherhood, Nick Riff, Aqua Nebula Oscillator, Stonebreath, Electroshock Records, Serpentina Satellite, and lots of record reviews. The issue also comes with a CD with a lot of cool unreleased music as well by Sula Bassana, The Basements, Ayahwasca dark Trip, Penny Dreadful, Bob WRH, Evel Gazebow, Love Parade, Drug Free Youth, Pyravlos and the CD ends with an over 20 min version of Your mind is at Ease/Mother Sky jam by Vibravoid recorded live in Greece in 2009. Damn cool stuff and not so expensive so pick up a copy.

http://www.gew-gaw-fanzine.gr http://www.myspace.com/nowherestreetmusic

Golden Void- The Curve 7” (Valley King Records VKK 703)

Golden Void is a new band with Isiah from Earthless on guitar and vocals and some guys from Assemble Head in Sunburst sound. This 7” is made in 500 numbered copies and features two excellent tracks. Side A starts off The Curve with an uptempo track with some intense guitar but also a nice up and down groove with organ as well. Vocals are mixed a bit back with some delay which sounds great. The focus of the mix is very much the guitar but Isaih is great! The middle-end sections slows things down and he plays some great delay guitar stuff. Very cool song. Isaih sings a bit at the beginning and the end but the band is just rocking in the middle. Shady Grove is the B side track and not as cool as the A side and a bit more melodic. Isaiah does not solo nearly as much. Interesting 7”.. I wonder if this is just a one off side project or if this will become a real band????

http://valleykingrecords.wordpress.com/   https://www.facebook.com/goldenvoid?sk=wall

Hawkwind- Leave no Star Unturned (Easy Action EARS041)

They have unearthed another classic live Hawkwind concert from the 70s! This one is from Cambridge Jan 27^th, 1972. Terry Ollis was just kicked out of the band and this was one of the first concerts with Simon King on drums. The band is in full blown space mood here and the sound quality is pretty good for this era. The recording was made using two microphones above the stage and a few channels from the board, so the mix is not always perfect but the power of the band and the raw energy and psychedelia blast straight through if you crank this one up! Bob Calvert does several spoken word pieces and even sings an early version of Silver Machine. The best pieces are of course the high intensity You SHouldn’t do that, Born to Go (Encore) and Master of the Unverse. The band space out nicely with the Awakening and You know you are only dreaming. A very cool release with a nice booklet with pictures by Danish rock photographer, Jørgen Angel. The live concert photos are from Huset in Copenhagen 1973. Nice packaging. I hope the vinyl version comes out soon.

http://www.easyaction.co.uk http://www.hawkwind.com

Electric Moon- Flaming Lake (Sulatron st-cdr 013)

Electric Moon is back with another limited edition live CD-R release. This one is pressed in 250 copies and is from a gig the band played in the summer of 2011. It features 4 long jammed out tracks and some of the heaviest guitar riffs Dave has ever played! The first track is 17 mins and starts very slow and spaced out and slowly builds up and is called the Cosmic Creator. It has a killer riff in the middle section and then spaces out again at the end. The title track, Flaming Lake is 16½ mins and starts with some effects on the bass and guitars as it kind of drones along before the drums kick in. Dave plays a long totally fuzzed and phased out space guitar on this track. Wow.. Lost and Found souls is 23½ mins and has an amazing HEAVY riff, almost like going into a slow space DOOM thing with a lot of wah. I have never heard Dave play anything this heavy before.  This is an awesome track! Burning Battenberg is an 18 min track that ends this concert. This track is much more melodic and Dave plays an almost Spanish style lead guitar stuff as this one builds up some tension and also flies! A really cool release for people how like instrumental guitar psych!

http://www.sulatron.com

Lecherous Gaze- S/T 12” (Tee Pee Records TPR125)

This is the Lecherous Gaze new release after or maybe before the split LP with Earthless and Danava. It features 4 short tracks playing on 45 rpm.  You have to love the back cover photo, with the band give you the “gaze”. Phaze is an uptempo rocker. It is a pretty ordinary but strange rocker with hand clapping at the end but a great guitar solo in the middle. The singer Lakis has a strange deep voice you have to get used to. Sold is a better track with a hard rocking groove and some nice guitar. It slows down and is a bit blues at one point as well. Grave starts off the side called Tee Pee side. It is a slower track to start but then the band really rock out but in a strange off kilter way. R ‘n’ R Lust is a straight up rock and roll song, done LG style, which is really different but still rocking! Strange tracks these guys make but I like them! They must do some crazy shows if they jam these tracks out a bit.

http://www.lecherousgaze.com http://www.teepeerecords.com

Kiss the Right side of your Brain: A Tribute to Monster Magnet (Monster Fuzz RecordsMMT-01-500)

I am pretty sure this is the first full length tribute to Monster Magnet and quite an obscure bunch of groups as the only one I had ever heard of was Drunken Gunmen. There are 14 covers in 73 mins and if you are a fan of Monster Magnet you will either hate this or think it is pretty cool; Probably not a lot of middle ground. About half the bands play the songs very close to the Monster Magnet version and these are not that interesting at all while others really try to do something different and some are more successful that others but most are cool. The CD starts with Acid FM and their take on Twin Earth (they also later cover Nod Scene) and both are very straight and musically just like the originals. Wormwood Earth covers Dopes to Infinity nearly identical to the original and not very interesting. Lady Perpetua’s Cosmic Circus (great name!) covers Look to your orb for the Answer and later Tractor. What makes this a little unique is female lead vocal but musically it is boring. They psych out a bit as you have to on Look to the Orb but just too close to the originals. The CD first gets interesting with Black Promises which do a killer version of Monolithic. The guitar is much heavier than on the original and the vocals and attitude shine through to compliment this heavier version. Greg Majka do a pretty cool more laid back and organ driven version of Head’s explode. Sicko’s Zero take on Kings of Mars, also in a more laid back way. Drunken Gunmen do a really far out version of Cyclops Revolution (one of my all time fave MM tracks). The vocals are spaced out big time. Later they also do Zodiac Lung with spaced out vocals, while musically the song is pretty close but much more low fi sounding. Smoking Bird do a super cool version of God Says NO, which with the next track, D’anglerz take of Big GOD are the highlights of the CD for sure. The sound production on this is also the best on the record. Forgotten Galaxy take on Superjudge and this is pretty cool as they really do some different guitar stuff and great solos while keeping a good part of the song the same. Red Infinity perform Space Lord and again, just too close to the original so not that interesting at all. Sparky, the guy who put out this cool compilation also plays in 6 of the 11 groups! One thing you really realize after you hear this CD is how great a singer Dave Wyndorff is.. A mixed bag of a CD but some amazing versions.

http://www.monsterfuzzrecords.com

Hawkwind- Parallel Universe (EMI Records HAWKS8)

This release has really blown me away. I had no idea that material like this from the early 70s hawkwind era would ever see the light of day but some clever people have combed the archives and made a damn cool compliation of 1970-1974 era hawkwind material that includes rare single versions, studio versions of tracks that were previously only released as live versions and even two totally new never heard tracks (Hog Farm and Take what you Can). The First CD is material from the ear of the first two records from 1970 and 1971. On this disc, 4 tracks really stand out. The original recording of You know your never Dreaming! Wow.. this is significantly different from the one that appeared on the first album, as is the alternative mix of The Reason is and Be Yourself. Fucking cool… Then we hit 1971 and I had no idea that the band had rerecorded Kiss of the Velvet Whip in 1971. Nik sings this on this version and the vocals are not as good as the Dave Brock sung one but cool anyway. Hog Farm is totally unreleased but short track from 1971 sessions. An interesting idea but I can see why it was left behind. The rest of the disc

          Now to Disc 2 and we are in 1972 and while the music is excellent on this disc, it is nearly all been released before with four live tracks from Space Ritual and one live track from the Greasy Truckers concert. The alternative vocal mix of Seven by Seven was really cool to hear and the nearly 10min long unreleased track called Take what you can is excellent. A really cool unreleased track from the Doremi sessions. Disc 3 features tracks from 1973 and 1974 and it was amazing to hear the studio version of It’s so Easy and You better believe it. These were only released as live versions previously on the Hall of the Mountain Grill record and a single. Its so Easy is really raw and Dave Brock really plays some damn cool guitar on this one. A few single versions (Psychedelic Warlords and Paradox) are rare but not really unique but the alternative mix of Wind of Change, wow.. that was cool and some real different stuff. Overall, a fantastic collection of the early years and many rare tracks.

Hawkwind Web page

Electric Orange- Netto (Sulatron records ST0411)

 The instrumental German band are back with their 10^th or so release. It is very long, just under 80mins and contains 9 tracks. The CD starts off with the 8 min Polyzysten and pretty trippy and really builds up into a cool fucking song with the band really spaced out much more than they normally do. A short 2½ min track Basslochner is next and just features some drums to start and then some synths come in and this leads right into the dreamy 10½ min Fluff track which floats along with steady drums and bass and synths.. The guitar is not playing a big part in the sound or coming up much until half way through. Cool song. Perpetuum Mobiliar is next and has a very strange twisted like vocal sample thing as the rhythms fight each other as the track progresses. The title track is 10 mins and this one really builds up with a  cool phased out guitar and an almost Hawkwind like rhythm. Cool stuff and very spaced out at times. Supptruppen is 13mins and slows things down a lot and is very spaced out as well but about 7 mins in the drums start to pick up and the guitar comes to the front a bit more and the organ gets louder. Auslauf is 4½ mins and the tribal like drums move the track forward as the guitar is noodling along with the organ quite low in the mix to start.    The CD ends with two long tracks that make up 26mins of the 79 min CD to complete your mind trip! Another pretty damn cool release by these German kraut masters.

http://www.electric-orange.de http://www.sulatron.com

The Cosmic Dead cassette (Whocanyoutrust)

 The Cosmic Dead are a new psychedelic rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. This cassette and download only release came out this summer on the Who can you Trust cassette label, which had also released the White Hill NYC Radio sessions tape, that I reviewed some time back. Anyway, this is pretty long, nearly 80mins and only 3 songs (jams) of pretty cosmic stuff. IT has a decent but not super high fi sound but the old school early 70s Hawkwind vibe is alive and well as the band jam along with max blanga and nice spaced out sounds. The more I listen to the tape, the more I dig it! Fans of old Hawkwind will be happy with this new band. The Black Rabbit is 14 mins long a very cool heavy spaced out instrumental jam, this if followed Spice Melange Spectrum is a bit shorter at 6 mins and clearly recorded at a different place as the sound quality changes and is not as good but still has a heavy spaced out wall of sound. Infinite death of the Godhead is the major long track on this side of the tape and again has a different sound quality with much clearer sound and drums and a less intense vibe as the band takes some time to build this one up. Side B is the Father Sky Mother earth track that lasts over 30 mins and really blew my mind. A really cool new band.

http://www.myspace.com/thecosmicdead  http://thecosmicdead.blogspot.com
http://thecosmicdead.bandcamp.com/album/the-cosmic-dead-2 

Circle with Verde- Giardino (Ektro Records RUT-004)

This music was recorded some years ago when Finnish modular synthesizer guru joined Circle for a weekend or so in 2007… This is a cassette only release made in 100 copies. I have number 85.  Sadly, I missed out on the other Circle cassette this year. Damn.. Feel free to contact me if you have an extra one. Circle and Verde made a CD together some years ago as well called Tower. Anyway, what about this tape? Side A is a 23min piece called Plante del Sud. This is a very strange track especially to start with and the weird vocals over the drone, sometimes quite intense and baby screams also and then the last 10 mins or so the organ is very dominant and someone playing cymbals in the background gives it a weird feeling, like really bizarre carnival music for deranged midget cab drivers. The track ends with some feedback and the starting drone becomes present again as it fades out. Side B is the 20min track entitled Plante nordiche. It starts with some synthesizer drones and sounds and then drums come in that are played very slow with mainly just kick drum and one cymbal repeated but the number of beats and hits is changing. Slowly more layers of strange sound layer in over the original drones and then some droney voices are mixed in making it very far out like something from a strange film.

Http://www.circlefinland.com

Bong- All saints March cassette (Brave Saviors CQBL 020)

Bong have a new cassette only release on the Brave Saviors label. It is limited to only 100 copies. Each side is a long track from the bands latest record, Beyond Ancient Space. Side A is a really cool version of Across the Timestream recorded live at the 13^th Note in Glasgow (2010 or 2011). It starts off with some really cool spaced out guitar stuff and the band are improvising a bit before heading into the main song. Great version and some of the best audience recording sounds of the BONG live releases. The B side was recorded at the Fish Tank in Durham (2010 or 2011) and this version is not greatly different from other versions I have heard but still very heavy, very stoned and doomy.. A great band.. Contact for availability : beyondtherim@hotmail.co.uk

http://www.myspace.com/landbong 

Earth/Flying Hat Band- The Coming of the Heavy Lords (Acid Nightmare Records ANM003)

This is a very interesting release and I am still not sure how official this is. I am pretty sure that neither the members in Earth or Flying Hat band sanctioned this release and this is some sort of underground bootleg since there is no web site for this label. Anyway, these Earth demos that small under 1min samples have been on the net, at least 2 of these tracks can now be heard, even though both don’t sound complete either and strangely, Song for Jim is not here. Anyway, this pre-Black Sabbath band Earth, were a blues band. The Rebel (2:46) is a decent blues rock track. While When I came Down I like much better but it is even shorter, under 2mins but Iommi plays some cool guitar and the riff is heavy. Early One Morning is live from some small club and a blues track (4:43) with so so sound quality. The side ends with Blues Suede shoes probably from the Beat Club 1970. I did not compare it but is sounds like it. A bit disappointing this side as these sources are not anywhere close to the original sources, I don’t believe. I would not really recommend this except for hard core early Black Sabbath fans.

          The Flying Hat band, I had this demo from 1973 for many years and these are the same tracks but they sound a bit cleaned up. For those that don’t know this was the band that Glenn Tipton played in prior to joining Judas Priest. In 1974, the band supposedly recorded a full length record for Vertigo that was never released. Tipton does rip it up especially on the great Reaching for the Stars track, which reminds me of the Danish band, Hurdy Gurdy. Lost time is an acoustic track. Coming of the Lord is nearly 7mins and by far the longest track on this record. It features some long dual guitar solos in each channel, even though the band is a three piece. Cool stuff.

Amber- Pearls of Amber (Merlin’s Nose Records MN1002)

Amber was a group from the UK from the early 70s and was primarily Keith McLeod on lead guitar, sitar, percussion, tabla and backing vocals and Julian McAllister on lead vocals and guitar. Ray Cooper adds tabla on a couple of tracks. This was released in 2000 on a limited vinyl but this is the first appearance on CD. It is a short CD with only 6 songs in 23 minutes. Every other track prominently features the nice sitar playing of Keith (also called Mac) while the other tracks are primarily acoustic guitar and voice and more in a folky style than say blues. This is a very relaxing CD to crank up on a spring day. Peaceful hippie folk stuff.

http://www.merlins-nose.com