An Evening of STONER SLUDGE DOOM @ Dirty Shirlows

Sydney's local music scene got you down? Sitting at home bemoaning the potential axing of yet another pub venue? Well we've got just the thing to jolt you out of your apathetic slumber!

As ever, Sydney's dark underground music scene beckons to those who simply cannot survive without live music. Come April 9th, we're aiming some of the country's loudest and most intense psychedelic, stoner and doom bands at yo head - and it all goes down at Dirty Shirlows; one of the more prominent semi-legal warehouse venues in the Marrickville area.

Canberraian trio Looking Glass hark straight back to the days of Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath - a time where substance-fuelled rock gods seemed to tower above the general populace, with a guitar-wielding ability (and an appetite for hallucinogens) that seemed to far surpass what was attainable for a mere mortal. This is classic, high-energy, high-volume stoner rock laced with psychedelic leads, thundering bass and effects-drenched acid vocals. Simply awe inspiring.

Then comes Space Bong - South Australia's downtuned denizens of drone and a band that has produced some of the loudest and most incredible live experiences I have been privy too. Their brand of droning, nihilistic sludge is trance-inducing. We can guarantee you will have heard nothing quite like it.

To round out the night we have psychedelic drone/fuzz outfit Adrift for Days, Brisbane stoner-rockers Shellfin and local stoner blues standouts Mother Mars.

Since this is a warehouse venue, the night will be BYOB, BYOJ and all ages. The sound system at Dirty Shirlows is certainly nothing to scoff at - so bring your earplugs, your squares and your brooding misanthropy down for an evening of vibration, fuzz and drone. Entry is $15 and the show will run from 8pm til late.
We hope to see you there.

April 9 - Dirty Shirlows Warehouse
Looking Glass (ACT), Space Bong (SA), Adrift for Days (NSW), Shellfin (QLD), Mother Mars (NSW)
Entry $15, doors 8pm, all ages, BYOB/BYOJ.
32 Shirlow Street, Marrickville. NSW

Looking Glass - Freya  Myspace  Kozmik Artifactz   Waterfront

Space Bong - The Black Wall  Myspace  In Out Recordings  Missing Link  Facebook

Adrift For Days - The Leech  Myspace  Free Album Download from 65Degrees.com.au

Shellfin - Cruzzin  Myspace  Bandcamp  The Soda Shop  Reverbnation

Mother Mars -  It's So Crazy  Myspace  Kozmik Artifactz

REVIEW: Budd - Jawa

StonerRock from Australia
Budd - 351


Label: (Budd Music)
Release Date:15 September 2010

Band members:
Craig Westwood - Vocals / Bass
Jeremy Finlayson - Vocals / Guitar
Tom Jackman - Drums

Not a big fan of stoner bands that need to make their names so incredibly obvious. Budd, you say? Was Pott already taken? Nevertheless, this Aussie outfit has thrown together a handful of heavy desert grooves with plenty of loud-soft dynamics on this seven-song, 40 minute effort.

Opener “351” alternates clean and fuzzy guitars with some nasal wails and dextrous drumwork. It only seems to have a couple parts to it that play in a continuous loop for about five minutes, though it does slow down at he end. “2Daykills2Morrow” comes in as the second track (whodathunkit!?) and wallows in a mellow mire for a good five minutes before getting tripped out and heavy for the last two.

I suppose that Jawa must be some Aussie dirtbike lingo, as the cover features a biker making a turn and the title track starts with the sound of engines revving. It's also one of the more upbeat cuts on here, a rolling rocker from the deserts down under! Meanwhile, “Shell” might not be an ode to bike fuel, but it revs up the intro to “War Pigs” with added crunch.

Not sure they needed to add the “Outtake” at the end, just some mates shooting the shit at the jawa pit, but then again, did Kyuss need to put “Lick My Doob” at the end of Sky Valley? (No, but the album wouldn't be the same without it!)

Reviewed by Gruesome Greg  Too High To Get It Right

Budd Website
Budd @ Myspace
Download It @ Bandcamp 

 

Track List 

01 351

02 2Daykills2Morrow

03 Pull Me Down

04 Jawa

05 Shell

06 Methanol ( Jawa The Genisis)

07 Outtake

DEMOLAND: Arrowhead Ep

StonerRocK from Australia
Arrowhead - Liquid Motion


Arrowhead, are a Sydney Australia based band that deliver's on the massive rock experience. Formed in April 2008, this stoner rock trio of experienced musician's are slowly emerging as a force to be reckoned with, ARROWHEAD, have a classic heavy acid rock sound with high energy.

The Band consists of BRETT PEARL, on lead vocals and guitar, he has a unique and powerful, melodic, soulful voice, the guitar sound has a furious bite, with warm tones and rollin bluesy sabbathesqe riff's, smothered in a wall of orange fuzz. DAVE LOPEZ, shares the same passion with massive earth moving bass line's that drive's the band while providing a smooth hypnotic feel. MATT CRAMP., on drums creates a powerhouse of rhythmic grooves with bonhamesqe beats with solid thundering drum rolls that add colour and strength.

Arrowhead, deliver a repertoire of rock solid well created feel good song's ARROWHEAD is a sound that should be heard ,they have an ep self titled, this is just a taste of good things yet to come, with longevity, teamwork and the love of playing music.

Myspace

 

Track List

01 May Flower

 02 Edge Of The Earth

 03 Sorceress

 04 Liquid Motion

REVIEW: Atolah - Relics

StonerRocK from Australia
Atolah - Down it or Leave it


Coming from way out west of Australia is 3 Piece Doom, Noise Instrumental rock band Atolah. Australia is seriously becoming the New Sweden of late with so much good new talent emerging and damn it makes me proud to be an Australian when bands like Atolah step up to the plate and deliver such a crushing first 5 track Ep!

Although part of the bands origins originate from France, Pierre the bass player now calls Australia his new home of rock and his band is ready to crush anything in its path! Relics, is without a doubt a record for pure sleep and Electric Wizard fans. Brutal low end howls, bad ass bass driven bowel moving crushing riffs, Thick heavy pummelling drums and a dirty heavy fuck off fuzz that would destroy speakers in seconds when cranked to 11.

Sometimes it can be overdone these doom acts with the low slow approach but Atolah touches most of its sub genres along the way and commits purely to doom yet still has enough love for the stoner/fuzz side to keep even the sceptic interested. Stand out track Down It or Leave It is my favourite Track on Relics 7 minutes of Doom the way it should be done, this is Electric Wizard in the good old days circa Doom Dementia for the first 3 or 4 minutes, Buts it's when you reach the 4 minute mark the track reaches its musical prowess! A Dead Meadow stoned out jam that floats the song to pure perfection.

Atolah is a super impressive band that until stumbling across, through the mighty Myspace had never heard of before. How these bands slip through cracks and never get heard is beyond me. Atolah is a super unit that promises to be around for a long time. Please contact the band support these cats and buy there Ep is simply Crushing.....

Reviewed by Matt Frighetto

Myspace
psycheDOOMelic Records

 

Track List  

01 Dead Leg

02 Relics

03 Down it or Leave it

 04 Weedy Gonzales

05 El Duce

REVIEW: Honeytrap - Own Private Intervention

StonerRocK from Australia
Honeytrap -  Ride The Sun


Looking back over the last 40 years what would you argue is Australia's greatest contribution to popular culture? Who said soap operas? Get the fuck out of here!!! If there's one thing the Aussies do so well it's good honest kick ass rock and roll and a pedigree like AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Airbourne and Buffalo to name but a very small few certainly can't be argued with.

Honeytrap are a four piece busting out of Melbourne with low slung guitars and dusty boots. Their Facebook classes them as desert/stoner rock and yeah, there's a certain Fu Manchu vibe to these guys for sure with their fuzzed up grooves but they also tap into the rock n' roll spirit in a way that too many stoner bands fail to manage these days.

Vocalist Chris Wallace is the secret weapon here. He posseses a fine set of pipes that bring to mind former Leadfoot/C.O.C warbler Karl Agell delivering a performance that's strident, confident and soulful...too many stoner bands forget about the soul. That's not to say that the rest of the band are slouches by any means. There are fine performances throughout and these guys can not only play, they know how to put a tune together. "Ride The Sun" and "No Control" rock along with the best of them while "Something About The Sun" has a slow burn smoking intensity that would see the glow of a thousand reefers in the air at a gig!!!

Five tracks of blink-and-you'll-miss-it stoned rock and roll...short but oh so sweet. It may not be the most original release you'll hear this year but in the trade off between originality and passion I'll take the passion any day!!!

Reviewed by Olivier Stygall

Myspace 

 

 Track List 

01 Titus

02 Hypnotic Ritual

03 Something About The Sun

04 No Control

05 Ride The Sun

REVIEW: Don Fernando - The Banquet Of

StonerRocK from Australia
Don Fernando - What You Need


I don't exercise much, but if I did I would run like fucking mad when the first song on this offering from Melbourne's Don Fernando kicks into gear. On first impressions I am thinking Therapy, Motorhead, Teenage Kicks, Ten Foot Pole and Rocket From The Crypt and this one hell of a mixture with drums that pound on the door of your hearing like a jealous girlfriend and harmonies that tell you to like the singer (but don't fucking ask him if he loves his Mum).

I am not a massive fan of the straight out harmonic pop of this record but dear me they know how to catch you off guard with a heavy as fuck riff and a change in tempo (the drummer is unbelievable at this). This aint no 'sludge' album, but it will excite anyone with even a passing interest in Tone Bender or Fuzz Face tones.

If you like a cool fuzz tone and enjoy hearing great recording and mixing then this record is for you - on songs like The Peeping Hole and Rise in Sea you can almost visualize the peaks and troughs of the oscilloscope if one were to be used to measure the breakup of the guitar tone - true fuzz.

This is one cool band - BUY THIS One!

Reviewed by Jon Davis

Myspace
Waterfront Records

 

Track List

01 What You Need

02 Release Me Now

03 The Peeping Hole

04 Dont Go

05 By Your Side

06 Rise In Sea

07 The Handle

08 Hold On

09 Lowest Of The Low

10 Loredana

REVIEW: Rollerball - Submarine

HeavyRock from Australia
Rollerball - Tame Existence


Rollerball play 70's blues rock that kicks you right in the face with a riff-shoe big enough for most men to get both feet in. This offering 'Submarine' (aside from having a THE coolest cover art I have ever seen) opens up with a phsychadelariff that reminds me of Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu in the same moment.

One of the difficulties of making yourself appreciated in the steep gradient and transparent world of rock-song creation is making your songs sound cool, interesting and believable at the same time and Mr Boland, supported by one of the tightest rhythm sections heard so far this year and a guitar tone that screams CRANKED TUBE AMP - ARGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH sings songs of dirt, frustration and anger with a style that suggests he actually did once lose a submarine in an act of theft - that would really fuck me off if it happened to me.

I love their Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden style of guitar / bass interaction (especially on Seasoar and We Always Slide) as this really gives the 70's Early 80's rock vibe a push forward. I was less impressed by the rather pedestrian Tame Existence but was then blown away by the driving relentlessness and palm muted coolness on B-Ray Boogie. I would LOVE to see this song played live at full volume!!!

I was starting to think this record was a bit 'samey' and it then was lulled into a false sense of security by the trippy 'Devil's Reprise' which softened me up for the 'acid in the face from a jealous ex partner' riff hammering that hit me with Run Aground.

This is a cool record, for fuzz tones they sound like they have relied upon a cranked Marshall - I am not sure if they used fuzz anywhere on this record but my ear has been wrong before.

Reviewed by Jon Davis

Website
Myspace
CD Baby

Track List

01 Devil And the Deep Blue Sea

02 Submarine

03 Seasoar

04 Youth Bailed (Back To Hell)

05 Your Lullaby

06 We Always Slide

07 The Devils Reprise

08 Run Aground

09 Tame Existence

10 B-Ray Boogie

11 Never A Rodeo

REVIEW: Mother Mars - Primitives

StonerRocK from Australia
Mother Mars - It's So Crazy


                              1...2...3...4...FUZZ!
Crank this one up really high, let your neighbours bleed.
The debut from these four-piece wizards of oz (Australia) cooks you an high octanic fuzzadelic monster stew including 11 different ingredients.

The album felt right from the start, after a short intro it just blasts off with the track "you are me" and goes on and on... i can tell ya this is retro stoner at it's finest moments, a fresh smell from the 70's fills my nose while listen to it and my ears just love it.
Who needs a "magnetic space plug", or an "flat spare tyre"? (i surely do)...two well played instrumental acts on the album, well i prefer vocals but these guys makes it worth listen to it. "Primitives" delivers tons of pure rock energy, lots of fuzz and this is fun, vivid, fresh. One of my fav songs "it's so crazy" takes no prisoners and grinds right through you. There are even som space rock influences and the track "the voices are back" prooves that mother mars got universal skills at high level.

Mother Mars released their first ep"take the ride" in 2007, not quite as strong as "primitives" but still a very good piece of work and among bands like Kyuss, Dozer, Fu Manchu, Datura, Gas Giant and Nebula these guys fit in just fine. I thought mother earth was the only mother in universe, but nooooo i was wrong... Mars has one too! and she's massive. Bottle up folks, this is party!

One thing bothers me, the album is too short...37 minutes of onslaught is not enough and i'm still hungry. Short or not, "Primitives" will not disappoint you in any way and i consider it being one of the best releases this year.I'm looking forward to hear more from these dudes in future.

Take a seat and enjoy the ride to Mother Mars!


Reviewed by Tobias Beament

Myspace
mothermars@hotmail.com

 

Track List

01 Intro
02 You Are Me
 03 It's So Crazy

04 Magneticspaceplug

05 Headless Feeder
06 Reorganising Me Ever-Shrinking Desert
07 Movin' On
08 Flat Spare Tyre
09 The Voices Are Back
10 Vague Memories
11 Intake Mourning