REVIEW: Muffler Men - Trigger and Fly

Alternative Rock from Belgium
This new band from Ghent has released their debut album to the masses, entitled "Trigger and Fly". And what you get here is some ready for the radio tunes, in the form of bands like Foo Fighters, Incubus, and Queens of the Stone Age, with a more meat and potatoes sensibility. What I mean by meat and potatoes is it has more substance, gristle and heft than those aforementioned bands. Sure u get some sing along choruses, but there's also some meaty guitar work in spots that can keep a metalhead interested, even some wacky horns on the end of "All Dressed Up".

"Trigger and Fly" despite its more mainstream vibe is really a pleasurable listen from beginning to end. The production is huge, resulting from the mastering job done by Brian Gardner, whose accolades include David Bowie, Foo Fighters, QOTSA and Them Crooked Vultures. And really sounds great for a self released debut album. These guys seem to have a clear vision of who they are, and where they are going.
by Adam Walsh

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REVIEW: Ramon Zarate - Oyster

HeavyRock from Belgium
Ramon Zarate - Monkey

The preachers of the holy riff have struck again and the Belgian bull is back!

This time Ramon Zarate is riding on his back pointing yet another nine sharpened knives at you...duck or you will be cut in half!

The new album ‘Oyster’ by Ramon Zarate hailing from Liége in Belgium offers you a swarm of non bull-shitting fist that grabs you by your genitals and squeezes till your eyes pop out! The new effort picks up where the last left off, and the Belgians continue their fight without inhibitions. If you are looking for some dynamite you have come to the right joint, because TNT is exactly what Ramon Zarate is about.

‘Oyster’ begins with the somewhat crazy ‘Monkey’ that leaves no senses untouched, and before you know it  the roller coaster ride is rolling. A deadly swarm of heavy fuzz guitars tickles my ears and every beat gets the desert sand to swirl. I’m in heaven; it just can’t get much better than this! Riff by riff, and beat by beat Ramon Z. cuts “himself” towards the podium, and nothing can stop it from happen. This fuzzadelic “ape” is bigger than King Kong and won’t stop until you bleeeeeeed! Ramon Zarate rumbles on with ‘Burning Bob’ and once again these animals rip the ears of your skull, this time you get megatons of super heavy monster riffs sharp as shark teeth and on top of that a Spaniard who makes the earth shake. This gem is reminiscent of a thoroughbred mix of Kyuss and Motorhead.

The title track is a dusty ride on the holy Kyuss trails that leads to timelessness.

There is nothing much more to say than that the engine is running hot even here and you are treated to a delicious menu of fuzz magic. Worth mentioning is also the two giants, ‘Losing Grace’ and ‘Shiteaters’ which together offer a steel barrier of solid rock. On these tracks Ramon Zarate gives you miles of enchantment together with a huge bucket of heavy fuzz rock. Words like grandeur and masterful fits in even here.

Is this how accurate you get from eating shit I will join the shiteater’s club right away!

The whole album is like having a stake driven right through your ears and there are no bad things to say about Oyster except for; when will you guys put out your next album? ;-) Ramon Zarate is one of the wet dreams in the stoner genre that hopefully will entertain us for many years to come. Senor Zarate, I salute you!

Reviewed by Tobias Beament

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Track List

 01 Monkey

 02 Burning Bob

 03 Oyster

 04 Eightball

 05 Losing Grace

 06 Cryptic Invaders

 07 Shiteaters

 08 Sun 

INTERVIEW: Cosmic Trip Machine

Psychedelia from Belgium


Interview by John Wisniewski

When was Cosmic Trip Machine formed and what brought the members of the group together?

Will Z.: It was in early 2008. Majnun and I played together in a band.We planned to record an album at NoHype Studio, but the group split up. The day it happened, we made two decisions, we decided to carry on alone because the studio was booked and we found the Cosmic Trip Machine name, rummaging through my records.

Could you name some of your influences in music and film?

Majnun: We are horror, exploitation and B-movies fans. We love movies like Wicker Man, Suspiria, More and The Holy Mountain to name a very few, including their soundtrack. Morricone 70's giallo music is another inspiration.

Could you tell us about Vampyros Roussos. Was it intended to be a concept album like Lord Space Devil?

Will Z.: The funny thing is Lord Space Devil wasn’t intended to be a concept album first. The first idea was to record two separate EP. Majnun had some musical concepts and I had Lord Space Devil, a never-completed project started in December 2000. Quickly, we discovered the songs sound great melted into and make a good LP: the concept came after. It was the opposite for Vampyros Roussos. Since the beginning, this album was an imaginary soundtrack to an unmade film.

Are the members of the group inspired by occult subjects?

Will Z.: It intrigues me how the brain is fascinated with the mysterious and the unknown. It’s pure philosophy and poetry.

Majnun: I'm interested by the way people try to reach different states of consciousness and by the strength of the will.

Do you improvise during your performances and do you enjoy playing live, giving the audience and light show-visuals?

Majnun: We improvise a lot during our shows : that's a good way to find new ideas for others future projects and something very natural to do, trying to connect with others and yourself.

What future projects are planned?

Will Z.: Two versions (CD & LP) of our third album, The Curse of Lord Space Devil, will be released, during December, on the great Nasoni Records label, so we’re very excited. We’re touring with a formula we called Kosmische Kraut Maschine, devoted to the experimental rock scene appeared in Germany during the sixties, with vintage drum machine sounds (the Harmonia and Kraftwerk one), Moog, organ, mellotron and glissando guitar. We have recorded a new version of Mantra song (on Lord Space Devil album) for a psychedelic compilation with only Belgian bands. We’ll begin to record our fourth album during December.

Is there currently an interest in psychedelia from the 60's, and what makes this music so popular, that it survives to this day?

Majnun: Well, personally, I'm not involved enough into today musical scene to tell you if there's a big interest in psychedelia, but I can tell you this music pass the test of time. Curious and music lovers will always find something in there. It has such a unique vibe and attitude.

Why do you combine an interest in film and music?

Will Z.: We have a cinematographic approach. Our music evokes images to our listeners.

Majnun: It seems natural to us. All the things you are come to light when you play music.

Do you enjoy the films of such directors as Alejandro Jodorowsky and what you may call «trip» film that provides the audience with a trip-like feeling?

Will Z.: Yes, and that’s why our music is heavily influenced by this kind of movies. Lord Space Devil had strong references to giallo, western and horror B movies. Vampyros Roussos was an imaginary 70's psychedelic erotic horror soundtrack inspired by Vampyros Lesbos, Psych-Out, Suspiria, Carnival of Souls, The Holy Mountain and many more.

Majnun: Jodorowsky is a great inspiration to us, with also El Topo. A true master in visual arts.

Could you give us a list of your favorite albums of all-time?

Will Z.: It’s a difficult question because there are so many albums I love… Pink Floyd, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn / Beatles, Abbey Road / Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath / Love, Forever Changes / Zombies,
Odessey and Oracle / Magma, Mekanik Destruktiw Kommando / Led Zeppelin, IV / Pretty Things, SF Sorrow / Beach Boys, Smile / Gong, Camembert Électrique / Doors, Waiting for the Sun / Can Am Des Puig,
Book of AM / Analogy, Analogy / Ramases, Space Hymns / Frank Zappa, Läther / Miles Davis, In a Silent Way … and hundreds more !

Majnun: Mahavishnu Orchestra, Inner Mounting Flame & Birds Of Fire / Led Zeppelin, I & IV / Miles Davis, Bitches brew / Deep Purple, In Rock /Jethro Tull, Thick As A Brick / Cream, Disreali Gears / Magma, MDK / Frank Zappa, Overnight Sensation

All the best Guys and Thank you for your time. 

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REVIEW: Ramon Zarate - Ramon Zarate

HeavyRock from Belgium
Ramon Zarate - Fuck This


Ramon Zarate got you right where they want you...on the knife's edge!

Out of the blue these four fire breathers from Belgium appear, lock and load folks, Ramon zarate is here to rock your sox off. Honestly television set no.2 have to go (out of the window) cause 'Ramon' is here to beat the shit out of you!

The debut album by Ramon Zarate delivers 10 well placed kung-fu moves and like a Belgian blue these guys are heavy weight champions. I'm banging my head against the floor, holy madre...this is like two smoking barrels, more than enough to blow grannie's walker sky high!

The riff gods rejoice when Ramon zarate takes the floor, like titans of rock they bottle up with 'Fuck this', a high explosive cluster bomb that nail you against the wall. Intensive and fuzz drenched, action-packed and with a glow rarely behold,this track totally blew me away. Track two, 'dust to dust' is just as cool as the first one, not quite as fast but heavier than the previous. Lots of groove and heavy riffings, one of my 10 out of 10 favourites on this album!

'Ramon' sharpen his knife and on the third throw he once again hits the ceiling, 'Blue max' is definitly one of the high lights on the album, just over three-minute mark and reminds me of everything good in life. Think big and think loud and you get close to what this song is all about. The whole album is like getting ass whipped by a steroid-pumped giant on dope. Unlike many other bands Ramon zarate manage to keep up the guard during the whole album, nice guitar arrangement , tight drummings and incredible vocals which making it an enjoyable listening.

Tracks that stands out are definitly Fuck this, Dust to dust, Blue max, Sex me honey and Ramon ends with the instrumental spanish-sounding 'Sling shot' which is a worthy conclusion to this outstanding piece of work. Similar bands are Rodeo queen, Calamus, Activator, Duster 69, Mannhai, Mustasch and of course Kyuss.

Reviewed by Tobias Beament

Myspace
Poison Tree Records

Track List

01 Fuck This

02 Dust To Dust

03 Blue Max

04 Heads Up

05 Outta Line

06 Sex Me Honey